Second Chances
by Inuyashlvr1324166
Summary: After years of trying to figure out the mystery surrounding her name, Sesshomaru's daughter reaches the woman's grave site. So what happens when Sesshomaru's former mate comes back? Will they fall back in love? Sequel to Almost Perfect.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back!! I had this posted before, but after reviewing it, I didn't like how fast it was going, so I decided to change it up a little. This is the sequel to 'Almost Perfect', so if you haven't read it, you'll be pretty confused, or that's what I think, so you should probably go and read it. I thought it would be cool if I made a sequel anyway, so here it is! Hope you enjoy.

One thing: Sesshomaru's daughter is Soledad, and you know why, so to keep people from getting confused, I'll just call her Sol. To the story!

Second Chances

Chapter 1: Tenseiga

"I don't think you should, and I won't allow you to do this!" Jaken said, trying to sound as if he could stop her. It was near midnight, the large moon's pale color shining down onto Sol's black and silver hair.

"Why do you think I'm going to pay attention to you now, if I've never obeyed you in my life?'' she sneered, as she began walking faster to try to get rid of Jaken.

"Because you know how Lord Sesshomaru will react to this once he finds out what you're going to try to do!" he squealed, his small legs attemting to match her pace. "You're taking your father's sword, I might add!''

"Father thinks this is a piece of junk because it can't cut, but I know what it can truly do.'' she said, while taking out the tenseiga from its sheath, watching it glisten. "Besides, it's going to be mine soon enough. I'm his only heir to the throne.''

"I will not let you pass!" Sol sighed. She hated doing this over and over again. She took out her navy blue fan and flicked her wrist, causing Jaken to be blown away and slam into the wall. She walked over to him to see if he was still conscious and walked away when she was sure he wasn't. She quickly sneaked away from the soldiers, where half of them were sleeping soundly. _They sure are doing their job._ Sol thought as she easily went past them. She swiftly ran through the forest.

_I just HAVE to find out who this woman is...what she looked like, and what she had to do with father..._

--0--0--0--

"Stupid toad.'' Sesshomaru's golden eyes stared idly at the blood stained sword, then back at the toad demon, who was now split in two, face plastered in shock. Sesshomaru's eyes darted back and forth, a hint which gave the soliders staring at the scene to run in the other direction. Kagura, seeing the men running in fear, decided to go down the hallway where she found her mate standing over Jaken, for the millionth time covered in blood. Kagura leaned onto the wall glancing at the scene before her.

"What happened this time?'' she asked him. He turned to face the wind demoness.

"He let Sol leave with my tenseiga.'' Kagura sighed.

"I'm sure he didn't let her leave, she just went on her own, you know she's always been like that."

"That is no excuse." Kagura walked up to him and touched his shoulder gently.

"You know what she's going to do with it don't you?"

"Yes, and that's why I split him in half.''

"You know we should've told her in the first place. It's been over a hundred years of her wondering who this person is...even if you hate talking about it.'' Kagura hated thinking about her too. But she was always curious...and..."

"Well, at least I know she doesn't know where the grave is though.'' Kagura tensed up when he told her that. She tried to remain calm, but Sesshomaru could tell she was trying to hide something when her hand squeezed his shoulder a little more. "You're hiding something from me.'' he said walking up to her, his calm face still masked on. Kagura loved him, how calm he looked, but not when she was trying to lie to him. She took a few steps away from him, hoping that he wouldn't further interrogate her.

"No, I'm not... I.. I mean... why would... I...I...hide anything?'' she said trying to defend herself. As if it worked.

"I think you are.'' he said, blocking any way for her to move away from him. He grabbed her chin lightly so he could face her, crimson clashing with gold.

"No, I'm not, Sesshomaru I--''

"You told her where the grave is didn't you?'' There was a long silence between them as she tried to convince him she wasn't lying.

"...well...maybe...I kind of...did...'' she started, "...But she wanted to know, and I told her!" she said quickly.

"Why did you tell her where it was?!" he said.

"She wanted to know! I can't tell her lies!! What if I did? She would've been doing what she is now, and she might have been dead searching for the grave!" she said, her temper rising.

"She didn't need to know!"

"Yes, she did!" she almost yelled. She gave a few glares to some of the servants watching them fight. "And you know that. And I bet she's very close to the gravesite, and eventually you're going to have to confront the one you knew so long ago and tried to bury away in your mind.You can't keep her from the truth forever, Sesshomaru.'' she said softly, as she turned and walked into the bedroom.

--0--0--0--

"So this is where it is.'' Sol whispered to herself. It was a very secluded area, fog surrounding the whole area, with rose bushes surrounding a tombstone. It had no name on it, but that is what Kagura had told her before. She took a deep breath, and began moving around the dirt until the tenseiga began to pulse. She looked and saw a corpse(1) of a woman. She looked curiously at her skin and her long curly hair. Her long, light caramel colored hair slightly covered her face, as if she was in the water, and her beautiful blue kimono that she wore with a scene of waves crashing into eachother made her seem...peaceful. Sol thought she kind of looked like a mermaid. _Who is this person? Am I at the wrong place?...No, I can't be, no way. How could some other person have the exact same grave?_ Sol thought as she continued to stare at her. She refocused as the tenseiga pulsed once again and she saw the usual creatures around the corpse.

"It's time to find out the truth...after all these years...'' Sol said to herself. She slashed the demons away and waited for a minute. It took longer the more the person was dead for. _I can't believe this, I'm about to find the answer I've waited all my life for. _The woman woke up, her eyes fluttering open for the first time in over one hundred years.

"Are...Are you Soledad?" Sol asked her slowly, wondering if it was actually true. She saw the woman nod slowly, her eyes becoming bright with life.

"I'm alive again, aren't I?'' Soledad whispered to Sol as she smiled gently.

--0--0--0--

"So, what did you have with Sesshomaru?'' Sol asked Soledad. It had been a few hours since she was resurrected, and she seemed so nice. But she was still determined to know what relationship the two had. Maybe they were friends or something, she was very pretty. Soledad sighed, as she looked over to a tree nearby.

"I'm getting a little tired, is it okay if we sit over by that tree? I haven't really walked in a while." she said, laughing softly.

"Yeah, sure." Sol replied. Soledad plopped down under the shade provided by the leaves and sighed contently, looking up at the surroundings around her. Everything looked so vivid to her, and even though everything looked so knew, she still seemed to recognize some of the things around her.

"So, what is it that you wanted to know about again?" Soledad asked her dreamily.

"The relationship you and my father, Sesshomaru had together. Every time I try to ask about you and why I was named after you, all my father says is that you were a 'friend.' Now I want to know what the truth is, since I'm talking to the person right now."

"Hmmmm...it's been so long hasn't it? Well, since obviously he hasn't told you, I guess he was just going to have to leave it to me. I was actually his mate, well, for one day anyway. I am originally from Spain, even though my parents are Egyptian and Spanish. That little toad Jaken sent me there...'' Soledad told her everything, Sol completly engrossed in her story. When she was done, Sol was speechless for a few minutes. "Are you alright?" Soledad asked her.

"Father never told me that...''

"Wait, so you're his daughter?'' Sol nodded.

"His only heir to the throne. He's unbelievably protective of me, ever since I was little. I'm going to get married soon, and I figured that the time to know more about the person I was named after was now more than ever, so I found out where your grave site was, stole my father's tenseiga, and decided to revive you.''

"I was hoping he was going to take my advice...''

"What was that?'' It seemed like Father didn't tell her everything. She had a lot to confront him about.

"Before I died, I told him, to have Kagura as his mate...because I knew she loved him and would love him as much as I did.'' Sol's eyebrows shot up. So she was the one that brought her family together? All this time, she never knew how they met and fell in love, but in reality, her father just married her mother for his true love.

Then, she had an idea.

"I know something that Father would love. I think he would like to see you again, so why don't I invite you to the castle? We can learn more about each other that way.'' Sol told her.

"Oh no, I shouldn't do that. I wouldn't want to bother you guys. I'm not part of his life anymore. I'll find somewhere to stay, find a new life." Soledad said as she got up and began walking away.

"No, don't!" Soledad turned around. "I'm... I'm having a wedding, and I would love for you to come. You'll be my special guest."

--0--0--0--

Hey guys! A second chapter's coming up soon, so expect some more! Maybe I'll update faster if some people review. Hint, Hint!

(1): I know, I know, how could her corpse survive that whole time, but who is she going to talk to a skeleton? It's my story anyway, so whatever.


	2. Chapter 2: Controversial Arrivals

A/N: Hey guys! For all of you who checked out the story, thanks! And someone decided to review!! Hey, G2fan, thank you so much for reviewing!! But I know more than one person would've looked at my story!So, next time, could you guys review! I would like some advice from other people so that my story can get better and better with every chapter being reposted! Okay, enough talking, let's get to the story.

Chapter 2: Arrival

Today Sesshomaru found himself repeatedly getting up from his large wooden chair and shuffling back and forth around the room. He knew if Sol had actually found the grave, she should have been at the castle any day now. _How could Kagura have been so foolish to have givenher the directions to the grave?_He stared at his large stack of papers. His stack of papers was still at least a foot high, with the bottom papers probably from about a week or so. Some people were probably irratated that Sesshomaru hadn't responded yet, but he didn't really give a damn. He always concentrated on his work, but it seemed as if he couldn't concentrate on anything ever since he found out Sol was going to come back with someone who he loved over a hundred years ago. Ever since she died, he would lock himself in his study and not leave until everything was done. Doing that every day for a hundred years should've kept her from his mind.

Yes, forgetting about that should've definitely been the easiest thing in the world.

He sat down and looked around the study. The blood red walls were embroidered with gold, the pictures depicting large battle scenes that the previous Taiyoukais had fought in order to keep the Western Lands at peace. As his sun kissed eyes glided over the pictures on the wall, his mind began to wonder. _I wonder where she is now? Has she settled down in a village?Has she even thought of me? _He shook his head. _Enough with these thoughts. I have a mate, my power, my enemies out of the way..._Sesshomaru smirked as he thought of the day years ago when he recieved the news of Naraku dying. He didn't know how it happened, and he was slightly dissapointed that he didn't get to see Naraku take his last breath, but he was out of the way.

"My lord? Permission to enter your study?" A voice came through the door.

"Enter." he said. A man entered the room and bowed. He was about seven feet tall, with piercing blue green eyes, and navy blue and black hair fell down to the bottom of his back. He had three green stripes on each side of his face, and his sharp canine teeth that gleamed as he spoke hinted that he was a tiger demon.

"Hello, what is it Shinto?"

"My lord, your daughter and another woman have entered the palace and are at the main room."

--0--0--0--

"It's been so long..." Soledad said as she walked over to the main entrance of the castle. Ever since she died, she couldn't have ever imagined that she would be back here after a hundred years. Many memories were here, and she couldn't wait to see what was new and what was frozen in time while she was gone. Two guards in front of the gate looked down to see the two girls. Even though Soledad was 5'9, it seemed that every single male demon was at least 6'3 at the castle. Maybe it was just a regulation or something that Sesshomaru had set up. She instantly recognized one of the guards. She caught his eye and smiled, and she didn't think he recognized her at all, until his eyes opened up slightly in surprise.

"Hello, Hideyoshi. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Soledad said to him. Sol stood next to her, perplexed and leaned over to her ear.

"Do you know him or something?" Sol asked her.

"Yes, he was a new guard when I first came here. And I think he recognized me." Hideyoshi smiled slightly.

"Lady Soledad, I thought you died! We all saw your corpse! How...?!" he said quickly. Soledad smiled.

"Well, let's just say I didn't do it myself and I'm not a zombie or anything. Sol brought me back to life." Soledad replied.

"Well, Sesshomaru would be hap...well, I guess he'd be surprised." Hideyoshi said. He opened up the gate. "Welcome back." Soledad thanked him as Sol led her into the main room. Soledad was stunned, and could only place her hand on her cheek. The main hall had white coloumns with purple silk flowing down them as they supporting the high walls Sol looked at her expression and smiled.

"Well, here we are, at the main room….Do you still remember this place?" Sol asked her softly as Soledad looked around the room. It seemed so surreal to Sol, she had finally found the person she had wondered about ever since she was a little girl. Soledad gazed around the room for a few more moments before looking back at Sol and smiling.

"It's exactly how I remembered it." The large, white walls with beautiful ivory ingravings weresimply decorated in the same plain purple silk drapes the coloumns had, hanging about fifteen feet above ground. There were a few small chairs placed sporadically around the room with an open view so anyone could stare up at the clouds floating by slowly. A small garden was at the left, with a few rose bushes in a variety of colors just beginning to bloom. Soledad instantly remembered all of those days when she lazily stared and took care of the beautiful flowers. _I wonder if he had kept those roses for me…_ she thought. She knew he would've probably never expected her to come back, but still…..

"Sol, you better avoid your father today." The familiar voice rang in Soledad's ears. She smiled at the person from where the voice came from, but unfortunately all she recieved was a deadly glare back.

_I guess someone isn't happy about my presence here... _Soledad thought as they stared at each other_. But I guess I wouldn't be either if I was in her situation._

"Kagura…" she whispered softly to herself as the wind demoness stepped towards Soledad and into the bright daylight from the dark west hallway. Kagura flicked her fan in front her face, glancing at Soledad for a split second, and looked back at her daughter.

"You're father has been pacing around the study all day today, and that means he was waiting for you. Hurry before-"

"Before what?" Soledad's head turned to see the Lord of the West. She looked at him and inwardly smiled, he didn't look a day older. But all she did was stand there, frozen.

Her former mate. Kami, she didn't know how much she'd miss him until she looked at him. "Sol, hand me my Tenseiga, and head to my study. NOW." He said sternly when he saw she didn't move from her place. Sol glanced back and mouthed 'help me' while she walked over to her father's study. When Sesshomaru finally looked over to Soledad, he just stared at her, not saying a word. And just as quickly as he started, he glanced at Kagura, as if to warn her there was no way her mother could get her out of a punishment, and then walked toward the direction that his daughter went to.

--0--0--0--

Sesshomaru's POV

As soon as Shinto had told me of the news, I quickly headed over to the main room. I wasn't too sure of why I was walking so fast: am I walking quickly to see my daughter, or was it actually for Soledad? After zig zagging through countless hallways, I made it to the room. I first saw my daughter, then Kagura, and my eyes slowly advanced to where Kagura's gaze led. It was her. Then I looked over to Sol, regaining my composure. "Sol, hand me my Tenseiga, and head to my study. NOW." I quickly looked my former mate up and down to make sure it was truly her and not an imposter, and it slowly began to sink in that she was alive again. I stared into her hazel-green eyes, her dark green eyes and my golden ones clashed quickly before I shifted my gaze towards Kagura, silently telling her there was no way she could make me keep from punishing Sol. She needed to learn.

--0--0--0--

Normal POV

As soon as her father shut the door, Sol instantly tensed up. She knew what was coming for her, and there was probably a very slim chance of her just getting a slap on the wrist. She was thinking maybe more of something like 3 extra grueling hours of workouts every day for a month. As she saw him sit down, she could see a flash of anger through the steely and cold expression in his eyes.

"What is wrong with you?! You take my sword without permission, then sneak out of the castle, revive someone that shouldn't be here, and bring her back to the castle? Do you understand what could go wrong?!" He barked. Sol winced, and heard the faint sound of a dish break, probably a new slave surprised from the tumultuous noise.

"I just wanted to know about her, that's all…"

"Well trying to know two months before your wedding isn't the best thing to be doing now when you should be getting ready for your wedding! I would think you'd be more focused on your fiancee and the wedding plans other than trying to find a dead woman!" he hissed

"Well, I wouldn't need to do this if you would have told me more about here when I asked about her my whole life! Every time I asked, you would change the subject or just mumble something, and I was sick of the bull! After hearing about this woman no one would ever speak about you would think I'd want to know at least something about her!"

"You didn't need to know anything other than the fact that she was important to your mother and I!"

"You mean YOU!" she almost shrieked. She couldn't believe he still wouldn't admit that he was the one involved with her and not her mother. She was tired of having the truth about Soledad just thrown under a rug. She was tired of her father trying to control everything, especially on how she should act and how much she should know. "After all those years, you would think I wouldn't want to know about someone you and mother fought about? Obviously you didn't realize that things being thrown on the wall would be heard by everyone, even your child. About how mother was one moment was overjoyed about having another child and the next minute on the floor after having the kami knows what time miscarriage?! About how you wouldn't let anyone even step into that room, not even mother?"

"Do not raise your voice towards me..." he warned.

"Dad, I needed to know, and just because you can't handle the fact that your first mate is here, doesn't mean she can't stay." She saw a flicker of disbelief in his eyes, something she had never seen from him. She opened the door to leave.

"How did…"

"She told me Dad. She told me everything about what had happened with you, and who stood in your way, including Naraku. And I'm going to make sure that she is going to stay." Sol said, slamming the door behind her.

--0--0--0--

Soledad cringed as she heard the screaming in the study. She sighed as she slumped down in a chair in the main room. She knew it was probably about her._Maybe I was right, maybe I should've just went to a village and just stayed out of there._ She was slightly startled when a man touched her shoulder.

"Miss, the Lord and his daughter have given you a room in the left hall. Follow me this way please." A guard said. Soledad gotup from the rose bushes in the small garden and smiled at him. The demon looked to be about twenty-five in human years, seven feet tall, towering her by about a foot, with three large streaks across each of his high cheekbones. His black and dark blue hair was down about to his waist, and he was dressed in formal Japanese war armor. But the thing that seemed to stand out about him the most was his eyes. They seemed to flicker between shades of light green and blue, as if they had a hard time choosing a color. "I am Shinto, and I am the main general here at the castle. If you need any help, I'm usually at the dojo or walking around the castle, checking if everything is in order." He said, while Soledad was having a little difficulty catching up to him. She looked him up and down, and realized she was very attracted to him. She blushed as an innapropriate image flashed through her mind.

"Oh, that's alright, I've been here before, so I'll probably be able to find my way around here no problem." She told him. She saw him nod sligtly in reply, not turning to look at her. Suddenly, they heard two voices getting even louder than before as they passed by the study. He looked down at her and smirked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking it was probably about me staying here." she said sheepishly.

"Why would they argue about you."

"Well, how long have you been a general?"

"Seventy five years." Soledad was surprised. It usually took hundreds and hundreds of years to get to such a high position.

"Well, then, I guess its too long of a story to ever tell you." he turned to her and smirked.

"You know, I have a way of finding out things around the castle."

"I bet you do." He stopped abruptly and she bumped into him, not paying attention to where she was going, thinking it would be a little while longer. She blushed.

"Sorry." He turned to her and smiled.

"It's fine. I hope to see you in the future." He said, grabbing her hand a lightly kissing it. She blushed even more, while he walked away. She ran into the room, hoping no one else saw her face, since it was probably getting redder by the second.

She gasped slightly at the room. It was a light blue, with a large bed with white and black sheets on top of it and looked like it could fit three of her with no problem. At the corner of the room, there was a large oak dresser, with a large mirror and a box probably filled with a few jewels and beauty products. On the other side of the room, there was a large bookcase filled with different kinds of books, from history to magic and spells. Next to it was another dresser, and when she looked inside it was filled with all different kinds of expensive kimonos made of only the best kind of silk. _Figures,_ she thought to herself. _He would only expect the best not only for himself, but for the people of his castle._ She looked around the room again, and smiled as she fell onto the bed. _I guess this is officially the beginning of my new start. _She thought, as she dozed off to sleep.

--0--0--0--

"Excuse me miss? Miss?" Soledad's eyes opened as she heard a small voice through the other side of the door. She rubbed her dazed eyes and opened the door.

A young human girl, about the age of sixteen or seventeen, bent her head down. She was wearing a very cheap looking outfit that had probably been a hand me down, and her hair looked a little dirty. Soledad allowed her to enter.

"I am sorry if I bothered you, but Lord Sesshomaru requested for me to help you get ready for dinner today." Soledad smiled.

"How nice of him." _Seeing that he didn't even speak to me._ "What is your name?"

"Oni, miss."

"Well, Oni, I would like for you to look at me," the girl's head rose, her big brown eyes staring at her in surprise, "and for you to just call me Soledad from now on. I assume that you will be my maid during my stay here?" The girl nodded in reply. "Well then, I will thank you for helping me and we should start. I believe we'll have a lot of work in a short amount of time."

--0--0--0--

"Oh miss, I just adore your hair, I have never seen anyone with your kind of hair that is natural." Oni told Soledad, gliding a pearl brush through her hair. It had been about an hour, and Soledad had taken a bath, washed her hair, and put on a blue kimono with a white obi on for dinner, which would start in about a half an hour. She had also allowed Oni togo and take a bath herself, and she gave her one of her kimonos. Oni said that Sesshomaru might get mad if he saw her in such fine clothes, but Soledad reassured her that she would take the blame if anything would happen.

"Well, thank you Oni, and you can call me Soledad, remember?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, mi-, Soledad, I am not used to people I work for letting me call them by nothing other than miss or sir. If you do not mind me asking, do many people from your country have the same kind of hair you have?"

"There are quite of few women that have the hair that I have, so I usually don't get many compliments about it that often unless I go to a different country." Soledad didn't really want to explain to much to her, she had been explaining herself since she was brought back to life. Oni placed a white hair clip into Soledad's hair and asked her turn around so she could apply makeup. "Only some light blush please, I was never really that fond of makeup." Oni nodded. Soon after she smiled.

"Soledad, you may be one of the prettiest women I have seen. Most try to cover their flaws with layers and layers of makeup, and would die if they could only put on blush." Soledad laughed.

"Well, I should be heading down the dining room. Thank you for your help." Soledad smiled at the young girl. Of course, Soledad knew she definitely wasn't like most people.

--0--0--0--

Soledad walked into the dining room, finding Sol and Sesshomaru already sitting there. Sol had on a simple lime green kimono with a black obi, and Sesshomaru in his usual outfit and armor. It wasn't like there was anything else he would actually wear around the castle. As soon as Sol saw her she looked at her and smiled, while Sesshomaru glanced at her and looked away like he had done this afternoon she arrived. Soledad smiled, fighting the urge to say something to him. Ever since she got here, he hadn't even said a word to her. She understood that he had taken Kagura as his mate since she left, but she wouldn't expect him to ignore her completely. She was hoping maybe they would be able to talk as friends. She knew nothing could ever happen between the two, so why couldn't he understand that? She sighed inwardly and sat down right next to Sol.

"So, did he do anything bad?" Soledad whispered softly enough so she was sure Sesshomaru wouldn't hear her from the other side of the room. She obviously knew they had a huge arguement, and she knew everyone else in the castle knew too.

"No, I mean, you must've heard a loud yell from the study, but that was it." Sol said just as softly. Of course, she wasn't telling the whole truth, but she didn't need to know much else. Kagura glided into the room wearing a plum colored kimono, and Sesshomaru stood up and guided her to the seat next to him. Soledad saw Kagura shoot a glance at her, as if inspecting her, and turned to look at Sesshomaru. She said something to Sesshomaru, but she said it softly so only Sesshomaru could hear.

"I thought you said she wasn't going to be here?" Kagura whispered to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru noticed Kagura was glaring at Soledad as she spoke. Sesshomaru glanced at Soledad and sighed before answering.

"I tried to convince Sol, but she insisted for her to be here and stay for the wedding." He saw her crimson eyes pop slightly. Kagura placed her fan up so no one could tell what they were talking about.

"Why would she have done something like that? Especially if Soledad probably told her--"

"She did tell. She told her everything on the way to the castle. And besides, you were the one that actually told her where to go."

"Well, I'm sorry! I didn't think our daughter would go as far as taking your former mate to her wedding as a surprise to you."

"Well, we can't do anything now. But after, she will not stay and try to find her own place to live for the remainder of her life." Sesshomaru whispered coldly. Kagurawasnot upset over the fact that she was alive again, she was just afraid of something happening between Sesshomaru and Soledad again. She had seen how in love they were when she let them go free with each other, and she was afraid their romance would be rekindled. Besides, it wasn't like there was any romance between them. He hadn't touched her in years.

Soledad began to shift uncomfortably after seeing Kagura and Sesshomaru whispering behind Kagura's fan, and how the two kept glancing at her. It was one of her pet peeves. She didn't like it when people tried to act like they were talking about someone when the person of their subject was right there in front of them. She didn't know why she was brought back to life, and how long she would be here, but she knew their little conversation was probably about her in some way.

--0--0--0--

After a large and delicious meal was served, Soledad walked back to her room. She was hoping to speak with Sesshomaru after dinner, but he left before everyone, barely eating anything, and walking after to the corridor, probably back to the study. He had been in there all day except for dinner, of course, but it seemed as if he was desperately trying to avoid her. She got to her room, and immediately began changing for bed. Maybe tomorrow, she could visit him in the study, and if he wasn't that busy, he could tell her about what has happened since she was dead. She missed talking to him, and maybe they could become friends again. Obviously she knew they could never have what they had before she died, but she could always be friends with him. She plopped herself on the bed after taking off the hair clip and shaking her head a few times to let her curls fall loosely around her.

Yes, she could definitely keep their relationship strictly and friendship one, and nothing else.

--0--0--0--

Okay guys, that's the end of the second chapter of the sequel, Second Chances. Wow, I wrote alot, it was over 4,000 words. I can't say that most will be this long, so I hoped you enjoyed this one! Many questions are still looming. Will Sesshomaru actually speak to Soledad during her stay? And he does, can they keep their relationship just on a friendship level? Or will destiny change their plans? And most of all, how will Kagura take this is she knows that she and Sesshomaru's relationship isn't nearly the most ideal in the world? Find out by reading and of course, reviewing!


	3. Chapter 3: Uncertain Answers

A/N: Hey guys!! I have noticed that not only have alerts and hits been for this story, but for the one where it all began, 'Almost Perfect!' I've gotten over 1,500 hits for it ever since I published this sequel! Crazy, huh? Well, I just want to thank you guys for reading, but it would be even better if I could just get some reviews in, just to see what you guys might want to happen next. I am a few chapters ahead,but I've kind of gotten into a rut, so maybe you could give predictions of what is going to happen next. Who knows, maybe you'll be right! ;) Alright, enought blabbing, to the story!!

Chapter 3: I Understand

Soledad eyes fluttered open as the golden rays of the sun splattered her face through the balcony window. She slowy got up. Even though she thought after a week she'd feel like she had been alive for years, she sometimes had difficulty walking and had found herself on the floor quite a few times since she had been at the castle. She then touched her chest, finding the beating of her heart calming, while her lips tugged into a smile. She listened to her heart beat for a few minutes before deciding to get ready for breakfast. She opened up the large oak closet to reveal a few dozen kimonos just waiting to be worn. Her eye instantly caught an amythest kimono, with a large swan embriodered on her back. Once she put it on, she noticed it was perfect for her, showing off her curves and hiding some of the imperfections she had as well. She quickly brushed her hair and placed it in a bun as she quickly walked out of the room and into the hallway.

--0--0--0--

Kagura groaned as she began waking up. 'Ugh, why can't the night last a few hours longer?' she thought. She placed her hand towards the other side of the bed, expecting her hand to lay on a chest. Instead, her hand was only greeted by sheets, and she groaned again. She always got her hopes up, hoping that today was the day that Sesshomaru was actually going to be laying beside her.

She sighed as she sat upright in the bed and stared down at the empty space beside her. She knew that he didn't love her, and never did. In the beginning, it was alright, he was sort of kind to her, and even though he was usually in his study for the whole day, every once in a while he laid with her. She thought maybe she could make him happy. She brought some lingerie, she wore skimpier kimonos, all to make him happier. But it ended up in failure one night. While they were in bed together, he moaned Soledad's name. And all Kagura could do was snap. She had loved him ever since she laid eyes on him, and she tried being everything she thought he wanted her to be, at least physically. But she could never be good enough for him...she couldn't compare to Soledad, no matter how hard she tried. A few months later she gave birth to Sesshomaru's daughter, and he insisted her being named after her Soledad. For the first few years, she could barely even look at her daughter. It wasn't her daughter's fault, she knew, but every time she looked at her, she saw someone that she thought gave her everything that she wanted, and yet Soledad had taken the most vital thing that Kagura needed to feel happy: Sesshomaru's love. And even when they got into fights, and he would never say anything hurtful to her, she could see in his mysterious eyes that he didn't want her, he never did, and he was only doing Soledad a favor.

Kagura got up and began getting dressed. She couldn't mope around and think about the past. She needed to make sure her daughter's wedding was perfect, and she also needed to make sure that nothing would ever happen between Soledad and Sesshomaru while she was here.

--0--0--0--

"Enter." Sesshomaru called out as he heard a knock on the door of his study. Shinto entered the room and bowed to Sesshomaru. "Well, you've been coming pretty often. What is it now?"

"My lord, you had actually called me over a few hours ago, but I was training the new soliders." 'Hmmph, it's not like me to forget things like this.' Sesshomaru thought.

"Well, I was mistaken. I needed to actually talk to you about our new guest--"

"Oh yes, you mean Soledad?" Sesshomaru glared at him.

"You know I do not like to be interrupted." Sesshomaru said coldly, his eyes penetrating Shinto. Shinto tensed up a bit before answering.

"I am sorry my lord--"

"Well, since it seems that you have already met our guest. She will be here for a few months, and I want you to make sure nothing will happen to her. You will be her full time guard." Sesshomaru saw Shinto's eyes brighten up as he said this. Sesshomaru smirked.

"Well, I guess it seems you are fond of her already?" Shinto blushed slightly.

"Well, my lord, she is very exotic, I have never seen anyone like her. May I ask where she is from?"

"She is of two countries: Egypt and Spain. We had...met a few years before." Sesshomaru said cooly. Shinto nodded.

"Well, I will be her guard, my lord. It is my pleasure." Shinto said as he walked out the door.

"I bet it will be." Sesshomaru said under his breath.

--0--0--0--

"Good morning, Sol!" Soledad said happily as she walked into the dining room. The young woman sighed and placed her head on the table. Sol sighed. "It seems like you are definetly not a morning person. Neither am I." Soledad said as she took a bite of her food. Sol looked at her.

"Well, you sure do look like a morning person." Soledad shook her head.

"Well, I'm not. It's only because it's the first two weeks. Within a few more days, I might get out of the bed for dinner." Sol laughed.

"Well, you obviously enjoy the bed. Have you met anyone else in the castle." Soledad nodded.

"Well, I've known most of the people still here, but I met this solider."

"Well, who is it?!" Sol said excitedly.

"Okay calm down! You're acting like I'm engaged or something!! I think the guy's name is Shinto?" Sol gasped. "What?" Soledad asked her.

"Shinto?! He actually spoke to you?! He doesn't talk to anyone! He rarely talks to me, and the only one that can say he's had a decent conversation with him is my father." Sol explained.

"Hmm, I guess I must be kind of special." Soledad said, laughing.

--0--0--0--

After breakfast, Soledad went to Sesshomaru's study and opened the door, not thinking about knocking at all.

"How dare you ent--" Sesshomaru growled. Soledad stepped in.

"Sesshomaru it's me, Soledad." Sesshomaru did not look up from his papers. "I just wanted to talk to you. I wanted to see what has happened to you the last century. I mean, how are you with Kagura?" she began, trying to make a conversation out of nothing. Suddenly the door opened up again.

"Sesshomaru-- oh hello, Soledad." Kagura said as she entered the room. Soledad moved over akwardly to make room. The tension in the room was so thick even the biggest fool could tell something was up. Soledad smiled at her.

"Hi." she said softly.

"Excuse me Soledad, but I need to talk to Sesshomaru for a minute. Is that fine with you?" Kagura said with venom.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine." Soledad said, quickly getting out of the room. It wasn't the hardest thing for her to do after what has happened the past few days. Kagura made sure that Soledad was gone before she spoke.

"Well, Sesshomaru I need to ask you a question. And be honest." Sesshomaru glanced at her.

"Go on, I hope you know I really don't have time for your questions." Kagura ignored his comment and sighed deeply.

"Do...do you love her?" Sesshomaru froze. He didn't really expect that question at all, but she obviously was thinking about it for a while.

"...No." He looked at her, and she didn't seem convinced.

"I remember the way you looked at her when you left with her a hundred years ago, and it seems that every once in a while I see it again when you look at her."

"I don't need to repeat myself. I told you no and you got your answer." Sesshomaru said standing up. He opened the door for her. "Now will you leave?" Kagura was about to say something back, but she knew it would cause an arguement and it would not be best after what happened the past few days. But as she walked into the hallway, she knew the both of them did not believe his answer at all.

--0--0--0--

Okay guys! Sorry it took a while to update! But her you go! Thanks, and bye!!


	4. Chapter 4:Remaining Feelings

A/N: Hey guys!! It's towards the end of the summer, so I may be slow on the updating, but I'll try to put as many chapters on before school starts. Alright, here's chapter 4.

Chapter 4: Remaining Feelings

Soledad sat down in the dining room table, alone because she was the first one there. She was supposed to be with Shinto, but she persuaded him into leaving her be for a meal because there was a very good chance that she wouldn't be attacked by anyone while the kitchen nearby was filled with servants and guards. The next two people that came into the room were Sesshomaru and Kagura, who glared at her through her fan. Soledad rolled her eyes. It seemed like a daily ritual: Kagura would see her come into the room and she would glare at her. Besides, Soledad would not ruin Sesshomaru and her own reputation. Sesshomaru was seated next to Kagura at the end of the table, while there was a huge gap between Soledad and Kagura.

Sol walked into the room a few minutes later. Sesshomaru stood up from his chair.

"Why are you late?"

"I'm sorry father, I --" Soledad stood up.

"Sesshomaru, please leave her alone. It was only one time, and besides, you knew how late I was all of the time. I would be in for dinner if I was lucky." Soledad pleaded with Sesshomaru, defending Sol. Sesshomaru just stared at Soledad and finally sat back down as food was being served.

--0--0--0--

Kagura's POV

I got up from the table first and began walking down the hallway furiously, not noticing the people scurrying away, not even trying to get her even more upset. _I knew it! He would never say anything back to Soledad. If I had said it myself, Sesshomaru would have said I needed t be quiet or worse, hit me while we were alone. I have to do something to distract Sesshomaru from Soledad, so I don't need to have this stress._ Kagura said, returning to her bedroom.

--0--0--0--

"So, Shinto, how long have you been a general for? I'm guessing not very long." Soledad said as they were walking over to Soledad's room. This had sort of been their routine for a few weeks, but Soledad seemed to always look foward to their conversations, ranging from the army to the beautiful scenery in the gardens. It just seemed to take her mind off of things, or people.

"About forty years. Why would you say I haven't been a general for long, anyway? Do I seem unprofessional?" Shinto said, his eyes gleaming.

"Oh, it's not that you don't look professional. I just sort of...guessed." Soledad said quickly. Soledad smiled at him.

"How do you know Lord Sesshomaru anyway?" Shinto asked her. Soledad had to think of something quick, and that was something she wasn't very good at.

"...We were...training buddies. We had been for a few years." Soledad said. She didn't really lie, they did fight every once in a while. Besides, Shinto didn't need to know what really happened between them.

"So you fight? That is a rarity that a woman is allowed to fight here."

"My father taught me. He was a general in Spain, so he taught me everything he knew." Soledad shrugged. "I guess I was good enough to take Sesshomaru on." Shinto chuckled.

"Well..."Shinto started as they reached the door.

"Here we are..." Soledad finished. All of a sudden it got very akward. "Well, thank you so much for taking me back to my room...I guess I'll see you at dinner?" Soledad saw dissapointment in Shinto's eyes. "Well, maybe I'll just go to the garden. Will you come with me? We can continue out conversation there?"

"Sure." Shinto said enthusiastically.

--0--0--0--

He was thinking about something. Something he shouldn't be, because as always, there was a large stack of papers on his desk. He looked up at them. Why did it seem that no matter how much he did, it would always end up being ridicously high?

He growled softly in frustration. He was supposed to be over her. After a century, he was supposed to be over her. He had Kagura, his mate. But he hadn't touched her in years. He tried convincing himself that was he felt for her was just intense lust, and not that foolish emotion humans described as love. So why the hell didn't a hundred years make that the truth?

Damn it, this was supposed to be easy. It seemed that way: Just get rid of the feelings and nothing would be different, and he could get on with his life. She obviously didn't see him the way, the other day she just wanted to talk to him. Besides, he wouldn't even be able to touch her because if anyone found out, it would be a scandal not only in the Western Lands, but in all of Japan.

And a Taiyoukai like himself would not be a disgrace in any way like his own father was.

--0--0--0--

_Kami, he wanted him back._

Soledad scolded herslef for being so immature. She had a wonderful day with Shinto in the gardens, and yet she couldn't get her thoughts away from the Taiyoukai. His golden eyes, his long silver hair, his amazing chest and abs... she scolded herself again because she knew it might get a little dirty if she thought about any more. She knew it wasn't right, since she paired the two up anyway, but who knew that she would come back to life a hundred years later and she him again? She sighed as she paced back and forth across the room. This problem was getting very annoying and she needed something else to think about. But how could she do that if her mind said no, but her heart said yes?

--0--0--0--

"Goodnight." Kagura whispered softly. She felt like a failure, as she didn't get an answer back. It was a pretty sucky day and that just put the icing on a crappy cake. She looked at the door as she saw Sesshomaru leave the room. She sat up and waited for a few minutes, and finally sighed as she fell back on the bed. Even if it reopened, it would probably be a maid late at night making sure nothing was out of order. Sesshomaru always came into the room late at night and left hours before she even woke up. She barely saw him anymore, and every time he left she suspected him of trying to see if Soledad was awake. She knew it wasn't true, because she couldn't smell anything on him, but one night it might just happen. And she couldn't say anything, because his response would be a red mark on her face that she would have to put pounds of makup on to cover it up.

She rolled over to the other side of the bed. Where was the attitude she had before? It just seemed to languish away as the years went by. She used to be so strong, and now she was just a meek woman waiting on Sesshomaru's every command. She wouldn't even argue with him that much anymore, afraid of getting hurt. She did all she could to please him, but all she got was a cold stare from Sesshomaru. Maybe...just maybe...she could get Soledad out of the castle, and make sure she would never be welcome to her castle ever again.

--0--0--0--

Hey, end of Chapter 4! I know,short, but hey, it's a chapter right? See ya!


	5. Chapter 5: Close Encounter

A/N: Hey guys, I know it's been a very long time since I've updated, but after the New Year has come, I decided to come back to the story and see what can unfold from this. I have a lot of ideas, but now I think I know what I'm doing. : ) Okay, on to this story.

"Soledad? Soledad, wake up." Oni said, shaking Soledad lightly. Soledad groaned and rolled over, trying to ignore her. She opened her eyes up slightly, and saw there was no light streaming from the window.

"What time is it?" she mumbled softly, her eyes still closed and hoping this was just a joke so she could sleep a couple more hours.

"I am sorry to disturb you from your sleep, but Lady Kagura would like to talk to you." Soledad's ears perked up. Why would Kagura want to talk to her? All she did these past few days was continually glare up at her when she walked into the room.

"Well, can't it wait until tomorrow?" Oni sighed.

"I tried to convince her that too, since she woke me up herself, but she insisted she must talk to you. And she said you knew what it was about, and that you must meet her in the main garden_." This does not sound good at all_. Soledad thought to herself. But if it was about Sesshomaru, why should she worry? It wasn't like she was going to try to go after him. True, she did have strong feelings for him, but there was no way that she could take another woman's man. Soledad got herself out of bed slowly and rubbed her eyes. When her vision finally became clear, she looked up at Oni and smiled slightly.

"Well, thanks for waking me up and for you actually getting up yourself. This is an ungodly hour for anyone to be up at." Soledad chuckled as she put on a robe. She was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. As she got closer and closer to the main garden, she got even more and more nervous. She tried to focus on the breathing that she could hear through the doors as she passed by each of them. She stopped when she smelled the musky and masculine scent from the master bedroom and instantly recognized it as Sesshomaru's. _Strange,_ she thought to herself. _I don't remember him being much of a sleeper._ She put her ear to the door to see if he was actually sleeping. At first she heard someone shifting around, and assumed that it was him moving around in the bed, but then she suddenly heard someone coming towards the door. She started to walk quickly and hope that he hadn't noticed that someone was at the door.

"Hmph. I don't recall you being a person that would occasionally wake up at two in the morning, unless this is a new habit of yours." Soledad stopped in her tracks.

"Shit." she whispered. She heard Sesshomaru walk slowly towards her.

"And you should know that I don't approve of profanity in my presence." Soledad sighed heavily, looking at Sesshomaru and put her hands on her hips.

"First of all, I didn't want to be up at three--"

"Two." he corrected. She glared at him.

"TWO then, in the morning just for the hell of it. Kagura got my servant to come and meet her in the main gardens. And second of all, I think I have the right to say what I want to." Sesshomaru smirked.

"Well, I don't think you should be using profanity in front of this Taiyoukai, and why would Kagura want to see you?" Soledad shrugged.

"Why would I know?" Sesshomaru stepped towards her again, shortening the distance between them to about two feet.

"I think you would know. You wouldn't get up this late if you didn't know why or if it weren't important to you." Sesshomaru suddenly smelled the jasmine and vanilla scent that surrounded Soledad. He was slightly surprised by it because he hadn't smelled it in a century.

"Well, I have no idea, like I said before, and I want to know why you decided to talk to me now after you've basically ignored me for the past week and a half?"

"I don't need to explain to you why I decided to talk to you."

"Well then, I'm ending this conversation. I need to talk to your mate anyway." Soledad said, turning to walk away from him. If she were Kagura, she would be pissed having to wait for half an hour for someone that should have been there in less than five minutes.

"Who said this conversation was over?" Soledad stopped in her tracks. She needed to stop this, because if they kept this conversation going on she would go insane. She had tried to be irritated or angry with him, but she was also struggling to keep a smile from manifesting on her face. She turned to him and sighed.

"I need to go talk to your mate. I think she would be upset if I just left her waiting and even more upset if she found us talking in the middle of the night." He walked towards her so they were only a few inches away from eachother.

"Have you gotten even more naive during past one hundred years that you've been dead? You must have noticed in the past week you've been here that I don't care about her." he said.

"Well, whether or not you love her or hate her, I am going to be the one to honor the relationship you two have." she told him. "We're not together, Sesshomaru. We were, but I died and told you to take Kagura as your new mate. She loves you so much, and no matter how many glares I get from her from across the room, it won't make me try to get you back." she said softly. Before he could respond, she quickly walked away from him, a thousand thoughts flying through her mind. Did he not realize that she couldn't be with him anymore? What if a servant had seen them in the middle of the night, and what would they think? Would she be kicked out? Banished because of what Kagura believed would happen? She took a deep breath when she finally reached the garden. The roses slightly glistened in the moonlight, and Soledad was able to make out a figure near the blue roses. Soledad realized that Kagura was wearing a completely black kimono, which made it a little hard to find her at first. Soledad slowly made her way to her and sat next to her on the bench.

"What's wrong, Kagura? There must be something bothering you?" Kagura looked up at her and kept a cold glare towards Soledad, making Soledad tense up slightly.

"You know what it is." she said coldly. Soledad instantly panicked.

"Kagura, you must know I would never touch hi--"

"Don't even give me that bull. I'm not stupid, you know. I know what could happen between you two if you were given the chance." Soledad shook her head, trying to mollify the woman in front of her. She couldn't imagine what she would think if she knew what had just happened thirty seconds ago.

"Nothing will ever happen between the two of us again. He's gotten over me during the past hundred years that I've been dead...." Soledad said, realizing that the last part hurt a lot. "...He doesn't look at me anymore, he can't even speak to me, even though I've been here for the past week and a half....." she was hoping that maybe that it would convince her. She had seen it herself too. There seemed to be no way that Kagura could still see her as a threat with all this evidence.

"I can smell him on you.... is that who you were with, taking a half an hour to get here?" Kagura whispered angrily. Soledad was taken by surprise and stood up in defense.

"Look, I can explain, and I assure you nothing had happened." she said quickly.

Kagura stood up, not listening to anything that Soledad was saying, and swept her hair back in frustration and sighed heavily. How could Soledad believe that there was nothing between her and her husband anymore?

"You know what? I'll let you gone on with your little innocent act, and you can keep on saying you won't touch him...but if I find out that you do anything with him.....I'll make sure that you'll want to die every day for the rest of your life." Soledad stared at her shocked as Kagura began walking away.

"Are you making a threat towards me?" she said softly. Kagura looked back at her, smirking. Soledad felt like she was looking right through her during the few seconds that she paused to reply.

"Well, if you don't like the word 'threat', you don't need to use it. You can just call it a warning." she said sharply before leaving Soledad at the garden. Soledad put her fingers through her curly hair and sighed heavily. What was she going to do about this one?

---0---0---0---

Soledad was still laying in her bed hours after the first rays of sunlight streamed through her window. She didn't know what to do. She didn't sleep very well last night after the two encounters she had. First she realized that Sesshomaru hadn't gotten over her, and Kagura was ready to kill her if Soledad was alone with Sesshomaru for five minutes. There seemed to be no way out of it.

"Soledad? Soledad? Are you awake?" Soledad heard a muffled voice through the door. She picked up her robe from a nearby chair and opened the door to see Sol standing there with a worried expression on her face. "Soledad, are you alright? It's almost four in the afternoon and no one in the castle has seen you out of your room today."

"Oh...I didn't realize how late it was..." Soledad mumbled. She didn't want to explain what had happened last night, especially to Sol. She was probably stressed out enough with planning her wedding, so she didn't need this other complication of having to stress out about what was going on between her and her parents. "But, yea I'm fine. I'll be out by dinnertime, I just need some time to get ready." Sol smiled.

"Well, do you want me to get Oni for you to help you get ready?" Soledad shook her head.

"That won't be necessary. I'll be fine, I can get myself ready." she smiled. "Thank you for coming over to check on me." Sol smiled back and left. Soledad closed the door and slumped down to the floor. How was she going to avoid Kagura and Sesshomaru when she just said she was coming to dinner? It was going to be very akward around them, unless she had someone with her. At that very moment she realized who could go with her. She ran out of the room and began searching the whole castle, not noticing the strange stares she was getting from everyone in the castle. She finally found him on the training grounds. It was a sunny and warm day, and the soldiers that were being instructed by Shinto were dressed in their uniforms and half of them looked as if they were dying as they were doing push ups with huge weights upon their backs. Soledad pondered that the weights must have been at least a hundred and fifty pounds on their backs. It was brutal.

"You better not stop, this is just the warmup! If I see one of you even falter on one of your pushups, you'll make everyone else do an extra fifty because of you!" Shinto barked at them. The men groaned in exhaustion and in pain, praying no one would make their workout even longer. He was wearing an outfit very similar to what Sesshomaru usually wore, but the flowers were actually blue instead and brought out the color in his eyes. She noticed that he wasn't aware of her presence after a few seconds, so Soledad cleared her throat to get his attention. Shinto turned around to see her there and smiled at her.

"Soledad! I haven't seen you all day, I thought you might have gotten hurt." he said to her, kissing her hand. She blushed and smiled at him.

"No, I'm fine, I just slept in for a while. But I came to you to ask you something." One of Shinto's eyebrows rose in curiousity.

"And what would that be then?" he asked her.

"I would like to invite you to dinner with me tonight. It's just that Sesshomaru doesn't say anything, and neither does Kagura. The only person I have to talk to is Sol, and quite frankly, I'm getting kind of annoyed with her talking about what her dress looks like and how the setting is going to be so romantic." Shinto chuckled.

"Well, I would be honored to come with a beautiful woman as you. I assume dinner will be served at seven as usual?" Soledad nodded.

"I don't think that's changed today."

"And will you be wearing something similar to what you're wearing now?" Shinto said as he eyed her. She gasped as she looked down and remembered that the nightgown she was wearing was slightly see through and very short. She pushed him playfully.

"You're such a pig!" she giggled.

"No, actually I'm a wolf demon. I've never really gotten the animal pig before to describe me." She smirked.

"Well, maybe if you play your cards right, I'll wear it for you." she said slyly, turning to get ready for dinner. She did feel a little bad for leading him on like that, but she had to make an attempt at making Sesshomaru realize she wasn't going to be part of his love triangle.


	6. Chapter 6: Horrible Confrontations

Chapter 6: Horrible Confrontation

"There," Soledad whispered to herself as she applied some lip balm on, "I'm finally done." She closed the container and looked at the finished project on her face. She had applied eyeliner, eyeshadow, blush, mascara, and some lip balm on. It probably would've taken a regular woman only two minutes to put on the makeup she had done, but because of a suddenly shaky hand and because she never had the desire to put makeup on until then, it took her about a half an hour and a lot of thrown makeup products. She silently approved and walked to the balcony, where there was a splattering of pink blush on the floor. She now felt bad that she had thrown it out the window and that someone was going to have to clean it, but she got frustrated that after three attempts she still looked like a clown.

She had gotten everything else ready before doing her makeup, because she knew it was going to take the longest. She had a silver kimono that was a little higher than her knee, but it was the late spring and the night would probably be humid anyway. She fixed her hair into a loose, messy bun, which held her chocolate brown hair in two silver decorative chopsticks. She brushed one of the curls she purposely left to frame her face aside, and smiled. She knew it would not only get the attention of Shinto but also Sesshomaru's as well. She knew that her silly game might get her into a little bit of trouble, but she just wanted to see what would happen when he saw her like this. She heard a knock on the door, and quickly sprayed a vanilla perfume on her neck and hair before opening the door.

"Hello, Shinto." She said eagerly. Shinto was dressed in his usual armor, but had one a light green outfit underneath, which complimented his eyes. Shinto gave her a small smile, and she noticed how handsome he looked when he did.

"Are you ready?" he asked her softly. She nodded and smiled up at him.

"Yes, and I just wanted to thank you again for going with me to dinner tonight. It would've been very boring to not have anyone to talk to." She took his arm as they walked over to the dining room. They spoke about random topics on the way there, and as she got closer and closer, she found herself getting quite anxious to see Sesshomaru's expression when they got there. Luckily for her, the only other person in the dining room when the two got there was Sol, and she beamed when she saw them walk in.

"Hello, Soledad! Gosh, you dressed up today, huh? I love the silver eyeshadow you have on……." Soledad simply nodded and thanked her for her compliments, not really paying attention to what she said. She quickly took her seat and Shinto sat next to her. "Oh, hello Shinto. Are you going to stay with us for dinner?" Sol finally asked him. Shinto simply nodded and continued to look around. "I told you. He never talks to anyone but you and father. He must really like you or something." Sol whispered into Soledad's ear.

"Oh, you're crazy. We're simply friends. I invited him to liven things up. It gets boring around here." Sol raised her eyebrows as if questioning her before she spoke.

"Well, he may liven things up for you, because he's only going to talk to you this whole time. I don't have anyone to cheer me up. My fiancé won't be visiting until after I get my dress and flowers next week." Soledad nodded, but was kind of hoping that Sol wouldn't tell her what she was going to be wearing for the millionth time. She could probably be the tailor by how many times she's told her the details. Sesshomaru then walked in with Kagura. He was wearing his usual outfit, while Kagura was wearing a violet kimono with a gold obi. They both sat down with Sesshomaru at the end of the table. Soledad caught Sesshomaru's eyes staring at her short kimono, but he didn't say a word to eachother. Sesshomaru looked over to Shinto.

"I see that you have decided to come join us for dinner." he said simply to Shinto. Shinto cleared his throat.

"Why, yes, Lord Sesshomaru, Soledad invited me to join the rest of you here. I hope you don't mind." he said.

"Hmph." he said simply. He looked at the two of them and a smirk emerged. "I didn't know you were together."

"Well, heh, we're not a couple." Soledad said to him. "We are just friends. I just invited him along so that maybe it would liven the dinner up." Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow towards her.

"I didn't tell you to speak." Soledad looked taken aback.

"Well, I didn't ask you to be rude either, but we can't always have our way" she said, her head slanted slightly. "Now can we?" Sesshomaru gave her a glare.

"Don't use that attitude with me, Soledad. I don't like it when people disrespect me." Sesshomaru said harshly. Shinto and Sol looked at eachother nervously, knowing this was not to end well at all.

"You must give respect to recieve it, Sesshomaru. Of all the people, I would think that someone of your class would know more etiquette to not intrude on people's personal relationships." Soledad snapped. Sesshomaru stood up.

"Do not test my patience onna."

"Excuse me?" Soledad almost yelled, standing up as well to face him. "You have no-"

"Shinto, I would assume you can answer my question. Are you in a relationship?" Shinto shifted his eyes nervously.

"Well, uh I---"

"Or has she just given you a good fuck?" Sesshomaru said icily. Soledad froze, feeling like she couldn't breath.

"Excuse me?" Soledad asked softly, feeling tears coming quickly. She looked around. Shinto and Sol were just as shocked by the words that came out of Sesshomaru's mouth, and Kagura had her fan placed over her face, but she could tell in her eyes she was simply pleased.

"I would've thought so, especially by the way you're dressed." he said to her.

"I am in no way dressed like a whore! How dare you!" Soledad hissed.

"Oh, well I guessed you haven't told him about your past, eh, onna? That you let a man take you without a fight!" he said arrogantly. Shinto's eyes went straight to her.

"What is this about, Soledad?" he asked her. Soledad didn't bother turning to him, or rather that she couldn't turn to him. She couldn't believe Sesshomaru would say that, that she let the man who raped her just do it, because even though he didn't know what happened, he knew how much it hurt her, how long she held that secret, believing it was her own fault, that she couldn't get away. She felt herself still trying to breathe, the tears stinging her eyes.

"You know that isn't true, Sesshomaru." she said slowly. One tear escaped and she didn't bother to brush it away. "How could you say that?"

"Because it's true." he said in the coldest voice she ever heard him speak. She couldn't get anything out, and all she knew to do was to just run as she bolted out of the dining room. She heard Shinto call her name, but she didn't care. She just needed to get away from Sesshomaru. As Shinto ran out of the room to find Soledad

"Father, how disgusting of you." Sol said coldly to Sesshomaru.

"How dare you speak of your father that way?" Kagura told Sol. Sol looked straight at Sesshomaru.

"I don't know this story at all, but how could you say such hurtful things? You're disgusting." Sol said as she walked out of the dinning room.

---0---0---0---

"Soledad." Shinto said softly as he found Soledad on the grass in one of the gardens. Soledad looked up at him, with tears cascading down her face, leaving remnants of her mascara down her cheeks.

"Go away." she whimpered. Shinto sat down next to her and grabbed her hand.

"What is this about? Why did Sesshomaru say that at the table?" he asked her. He sighed as he got no response. "Please tell me, I'm here." he said softly. Sol ran into the garden and as soon as she saw Soledad in her horrible condition she ran down and hugged her.

"Aw, Soledad. Don't cry. You're face is covered in makeup. Here." Sol said, ripping a piece of her red kimono. "Let me wipe it off." Soledad pushed her hand away lightly.

"You just ripped that expensive kimono!" she said to her. Sol shrugged.

"It's a kimono, a piece of fabric I wear. I couldn't care less." Sol said, wiping the makeup off without Soledad's objection this time. She sat down on Soledad's other side.

"What is it that he was talking about? Is it about your past?" Soledad began crying even harder. "Shhh. I can tell you for a fact that Shinto and I couldn't care about what happened in the past....." she said. She crouched down. "Were you a pro---"

"NO!" Soledad shrieked. She sighed heavily. "I was...taken advantage of when my parents introduced me to a suitor." she whispered, not wanting to look at their reactions. "I held it in for years and years, feeling like it was all my fault for it. I should've had more strength to push him off, or I should've yelled louder............there was always a way for me to believe that it was my fault for what happened, and for years and years I couldn't tell it to anyone....." Shinto hugged her tightly and Soledad buried her head into his chest as she broke down and cried for what felt like forever to her. When she stopped crying she noticed that Sol had left and it was just the two of them. She sighed.

"Well, I guess you're going to have to wash your clothes, I soaked through them." she said, trying to laugh. Shinto simply touched her cheek gently.

"It doesn't matter, as long as I can make you happy." Soledad smiled slightly and allowed Shinto to pick her up bridal style, and sometime during the trip from the gardens to her room, she dozed off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Aftermath

Chapter 7: Aftermath

She hated him, with every fiber in her body. He had humiliated her, disgraced not only her but her family and ancestors with his disgusting remark two weeks ago. She had loved him with all her heart, and even trusted him with her deepest secrets she had felt like prior to meeting him would be impossible to speak of. When she looked at him, it was as if she was the only one that could solve the complex, cold and unforgiving puzzle fuedal Japan knew as Sesshomaru, and that moment at the dinner table razed any hope that maybe in the past century he had changed. He didn't do anything at all to change himself, even when he had a woman desperate for his love and a daughter who was to be married, and he didn't change himself for her. She told herself she hated him, but couldn't hate him, which made her disgusted with herself.

Soledad had simply drifted around the castle when she had bothered to get up from her bed the past week, only to get a cup of tea or just to stare up at the clouds drifting into the sky for hours, without thinking about anything. She felt numb and worthless. If it was anyone else that would call her a whore she would have been able to curse them out or simply shake it off, because to her they were nothing. But when Sesshomaru said, it hit her hard and the numerous attempts by Sol and Shinto were to no avail. She was frustrated and angry for letting it get to her, but she couldn't get herself out of the funk.

Soledad looked up at the top of the ceiling, which was an elaborate picture of delicate Japanese cherry blossoms circling around the small chandelier above her bed decorated with precious jewels in elaborate colors. She sighed and slowly got up from the bed to go and eat something. She hadn't really eaten anything the past two weeks, other than a few pieces a bread she had with her cups of tea when she came out of her room every two or three days. After she took a long shower she put on a long emerald green kimono and a silver obi, and put her hair up in a bun that looked more carelessly done than her usual messy bun that still looked in a way polished. She pushed back a few loose curls behind her ear and went outside. Her eyes drifted around, and she knew she probably looked like a person lost in a place that they just walked into without noticing where they were going. As soon as she reached the dining room she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Sesshomaru there. It looked as if he was looking for someone, and she knew it was her whom he sought. She wanted to turn and run away from him, but she couldn't, she was dead in her tracks. He finally looked in her direction, and his sun kissed eyes met her hazel ones. He saw in her eyes that she was trying to glare at him, but there was a hint of anxiousness in her eyes as well.

"Soledad, I need to talk to you." he said softly. She glared at him, her jaw clenched for a few long seconds before responding to him. This scene replayed in her mind over and over again in her head, as she practically rehearsed what she was going to say to him, but she knew it was not going to work.

"There's nothing to talk about." she said coldly. "I believe you said everything you wanted to say to me and infront of everyone else in fact a few weeks ago."

"Do not start with me. I have been waiting for you for hours everyday in this dining room and you haven't been here." he said impatiently, getting up from his chair. "I need to talk to you."

"I don't care if you have been slowly trying to kill yourself everyday to talk to me. You obviously said what you felt about me and you got your wish to humiliate not only me but my family." she said hotly. "I am not speaking with you." she went to turn but he grabbed her arm roughly to stop her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!!" she yelled, trying to pry herself from his grip. "You're a disgusting man, and I hate you! I can't stand you, and I could never love someone so disgusting."

"You don't mean that, and you know it." she looked at him square in the eyes.

"I know I can't love someone who thinks so little of me, and thinks I was just another girl on the list he played for a fool." she ripped her arm from his grip and hastily walked away, trying to make sure he couldn't grab her again, but in a flash she was pinned agaisnt the wall by the Taiyoukai. And for those few seconds, she only stared at him, their eyes clashing, and even though she felt that she should be struggling or trying to free a hand in order to slap his face as hard as she could, she could only stare at him, with so many thoughts sprinting through her mind it was making her dizzy. And then he suddenly kissed her. It was a rough kiss, but it was a kiss with feeling. She could feel his frustration caused by her and himself, and yet there was a soft passion to it, as if he had waited for so long for their lips to meet.

When the long kiss ended, he slowly lowered her, until her feet were firmly on the ground, and even though Soledad was always known as the talkative and strong minded person who wouldn't hesitate to speak her mind, nothing came out of her mouth. She was speechless.

"Father?!" Sesshomaru and Soledad heard a voice shriek in astonishment and disgust, and Sol stood there, her face stuck in shock.

"Sol, I can explain...." Soledad began, but Sol only snarled at her.

"What is this?! You stay in your room everyday even after multiple attempts by Shinto and I to cheer you up because of what he did," she said softly, pointing to her father, "and then I see this? And Shinto's now away on a military trip and you had to do this to him?! You know how much he cares about you and how protective he is of you. I haven't seen him care about someone like that in my life!" she said. Soledad put her head down shamefully. She didn't plan for what had happened, but she knew how devastated and hurt he was going to be about this, even if she knew in her heart that she simply couldn't love him the same way that he obviously loved her.

"I still can't believe what I just saw. How am I supposed to feel about the affair between you two?" she placed her hand on her forehead in frustration, and then glared at Soledad harshly. "Maybe you are what my father had claimed." she said coldly.

"We aren't together, I swear!" Soledad said in desperation. "Please, it was an accident, and it will never happen again."

"Don't you try to fix this, you whore." she said coldly to Soledad.

"Don't you dare say that about her." Sesshomaru snarled. Sol gave her father the cold, unemotional face that Soledad thought the great Taiyoukai was the only one to master.

"Well, you were the one who brought it up, and I guess you were right. But don't play innocent, father. How could you do this to mother? Are you trying to destroy her?! Have you not noticed how unhappy she is because whatever she does to gain your attention ends in vain?" she said angrily, her voice rising with every word. "I hope you enjoy eachother." she said in a disgusted tone before leaving the room. Soledad looked up at Sesshomaru and before he could say a word in response or before he could even bother, she ran out of the room.

---0---0---0---

As Kagura looked at the scene that had unraveled in front of her, a tear silently went down her cheek. She had been using the Kanna's mirror after she had given it to her after Naraku's death shortly after he killed Soledad, and in the past few week she found her self using it all the time, and most of the time she found it hard to watch, especially now. She had so many emotions running through her: pain, frustration, anger, jealously, and hopelessness all wrapped up inside of her. Kagura took the pearl encrusted comb right next to her and flung it agaisnt the wall, causing a dent to manifest in the wall. She sighed in anger and felt more tears threatening to spill over her cheeks. She knew it was going to happen, and that it was as inevitable as death, but she wanted for Sesshomaru to somehow fall out of love with her, that he would think of her as just a figure in the past that somehow came back around but he would have no reconnection with.

"What is wrong with me?" she whispered softly, half hoping that somehow Sesshomaru would be able to hear it from across the palace. "What is it that she has that I cannot give you?" She had done anything and everything he wanted of her, she gave him a child, and even though she knew it wasn't a boy she couldn't be blamed of it if he was the one that didn't want to touch her again for numerous decades at a time. She knew she couldn't be blamed if he wouldn't bother holding her unless it was pinned against the wall by her throat everytime she brought Soledad up in an arguement, and she knew that even all of her love and devotion to him wasn't going to make him feel the same way about her, but she couldnt' help taking the blame and suffering the pain for it.

But then as an idea that she had tried to push out of her mind suddenly reappeared, and she was happy that she wasn't able to forget what he had said to her. She quickly wiped away the tears on her face and reapplyed her makeup as quickly as she could, and then checked in Kanna's mirror to see if Soledad was in her room.

_Perfect._ she thought as the mirror revealed that not a soul was there in the bedroom. She swiftly made her way to the other side of the castle and reached the wooden doors. Slowly opening them, she peered into the room to double check. When she didn't hear anything she made her way over to the makeup table at the side of the room. She scowled as she entered, because the room was drenched in the scent of vanilla and jasmine. She glanced quickly on what was on the table: a small, simple comb, a few barettes, and her brush.

_That's what I think I need._ she thought to herself, smirking. She pulled off some of the hair from the brush and started to way out.

"Lady Kagura?" came a soft voice from behind her. She turned anxiously to see Soledad's servant Umi standing there in her simple black kimono, holding towels and laundry in her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Um... I was going to check to see if Soledad was in here, but I see now that she isn't." Kagura said hastily, trying her best to keep a poker face about it, but she knew it was failing once a suspicious look emerged on Umi's face.

"Okay....I am sorry to ask you this, Lady Kagura, since this shouldn't be any of my business, but why do you have a clump of hair in you hand?" Kagura tried to keep the nervousness on her face and make up a good excuse.

"Well, when I heard you say something to me, I jumped and grabbed this hair from my head." she said quickly. She tried putting on a smile. "Guess you know about my secret hair extensions. Hehehe." she said quietly. "Well, I must leave. It was a pleasure to have a conversation with you, Umi." she said before quickly leaving the room.

_This might be a little harder than I would've thought._ she thought as she was leaving the room.

"Mother!" Kagura heard Sol from behind her in the hallway. She turned to see her daughter in a midnight blue kimono running towards her.

"You are going to fall on your face on of these days if you keep on running around the house like that." she scolded.

"Mom, you have been saying that for years now, and I think you and I both know that I will be fine, I am used to running around everywhere." she said as she got to her mother. "Can we go to the garden together? I need to talk to you about something." she said with a more serious tone.

---0---0---0---

Okay guys, that's it!! I hope you enjoyed the Chapter. I tried to make it as interesting as possible, so keep reading and stay tuned!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Picking up the Pieces

"Sesshomaru, I have to speak with you." Soledad said softly through the oak doors of his study. It had been three miserable and confusing days, and she couldn't believe that after a month and a half all this drama had occurred. She was always the type of person that would avoid this kind of thing, watching her friends and colleagues fall head over heels for eachother only to end up hurt, or have themselves fighting over a man when in the end, all the pursuers were to be left in the dust. How ironic it was that now she found herself in the same situation, when all her life, the first and second ones, she was now the epitome of what she wanted to avoid.

Sesshomaru opened the door and stared at her in his usual unemotional way. She simply made her way inside the room. It was the same as it has always been, where the walls were covered by dog demons doing various actions, and the books were filled with literature and information about almost every inch of the world, which is how he 'found her out' in a way. She sat down in the soft velvet seat and waited for him to make his way to his before entering.

"Sesshomaru, we need to talk." She said softly. She wasn't sure what she was going to say, how to say it, and what the outcome was going to be, simply thinking maybe she would find her way as the conversation between the two of them progressed. Sesshomaru cleared his throat before looking in her direction.

"It's about what had happened a few days ago, I presume, because we have been in the same room many of times since then, but have only spoken to each other in a cordial and indifferent way." He stated simply. She nodded, knowing it was true. It felt like they were back to square one again, when they had first reunited over a month ago. She started picking at the imaginary lint on her jet black kimono, trying to figure out what to say.

"Yea…" she mumbled, looking up at him awkwardly. "I still don't know what to say about that." She said, lightly laughing in the very tense situation between them. Sesshomaru lay back onto the chair and put his hand on his chin and sighed lightly.

"We both know why it happened."

"No, I don't know why." She responded quickly. "And I don't know why I even let it happen. You….you hurt me, Sesshomaru, and even though you may be one of the most arrogant and stubborn people in this world, you know what you said to me at that dinner table was wrong." She stopped once she felt herself getting emotional, waiting for a response. He looked at her with impatience in his eyes.

"What, you want me to give you an apology?" he said with a slight sarcastic tone. She started getting upset when she heard his response. "Fine, I'm sorry." He said to her.

"It won't kill you to give me a decent one, Sesshomaru. You're such an asshole when you're like this. Will giving me the apology for something you and I both know was totally out of hand kill you, Sesshomaru? And for you to say that you have and still do care for me, but can't swallow your pride to give me a damn apology is bull and you know it." She said, anger growing in every word. She didn't care what his response was to this.

"Do you know what it is like? For me to actually to realize when I see you it's not just lust, and once I have you you've slipped through my fingers by Naraku? And to be stuck with a woman I couldn't give a damn about just because you asked for it in your last breath? I did that for you, and now when I see you again…." He said to her "and I can't have you because you're with Shinto?" Soledad was taken aback by this. She knew he hated being with Kagura, and he probably hadn't touched her in years, but she didn't know he had built it inside for so long and actually how unhappy he was with seeing her with someone else. She realized she probably would've been just as upset in the same situation, but not nearly as disgusted as he seemed to see her with Shinto.

"There's nothing between us, and it's none of your business." She said softly. She now felt uncomfortable with what she had heard from him, and wanted to try to rebuild her guard. This improv style of going through this conversation obviously wasn't the best way to enter this conversation.

"You must know that I think of killing him when he looks at you." She looked up at him shocked.

"You can't say that truthfully, Sesshomaru." She stared into his eyes, and knew he was serious. "It's nothing serious, Sesshomaru. I don't love him the way he loves me and that's a fact I think pretty much anyone would be able to notice in minutes." She told him. "Yes, I must admit that I still truly love you, but I think it would definitely be best if you and I remained friends and nothing less. We can't let this go any further, and you know this." Soledad pushed her hair back, feeling mentally exhausted. She stood up, delicately touching his cheek. "So, this is my goodbye."

---0---0---0---

"Mother, I must speak to you now." Sol said anxiously as she tried to catch up with her mother. Kagura was basically sprinting down the hall, trying to run away. She needed to get away from this, everything, and nothing really made sense anymore to her in these past few days.

"Sol, do not follow me." She said harshly.

"But I must tell you….."

"I know!" she barked at her daughter. Sol stepped back in surprise, taking a step back from her mother. "I know what's going on, and I have known for a while…." She said slowly, as if she fought to let the words out. "But don't follow me, Sol, for you may be as disappointed in me as you are with your father." Kagura flicked her fan and began flying off in her feather. Sol ran as quickly as she could in an attempt to catch the feather.

"Mother, please, whatever you are going to do, don't!!!" she yelled, but Kagura was gone in a flash. "I needed to tell you….that the wedding's off." She said slowly.

---0---0---0---

She made it. After two long days, Kagura had finally made it to the gravesite she never thought she would ever visit, and yet here she was, in a dark cave filled with miasma. She could help but smile a little. Miasma seemed to always shroud him, even in death. She suspiciously and slowly as she crept towards the flickering light that was about a half a mile away from the entrance. As she slowly made her way there, she kept her fan tightly bound in her hand while she wondered who else could be here. She jumped, scaring herself half to death as a lowly worm demon brushed her left leg. She took a breath deeply in an attempt to calm herself down, and chuckled slightly at herself. She quickly made her way to the grave, in a way hoping she wouldn't be scared again.

As soon as she made her way to the grave, she realized what the flickering light was, and what the fate of that worm demon was. As hundreds of weak demons tried to get to the grave itself, they were instantly killed in a lightning like flash. Kagura warily put her hand into the invisible barrier, and as she expected a shock, she found her hand when through. She smirked. He was waiting for her to come.

She quickly made her way in as other demons made their futile attempts to gain some of the deceased's power, and she wondered why they even bothered trying, if they had just seen that the second before that the demon right in front of them was basically vaporized. She carefully laid down the three items in front of her, as if they would break and this opportunity would be gone forever if not done now. She took one of Soledad's kimonos from her closet, the clump of hair from the brush, and she also had a vial of Soledad' blood. It was surprisingly easy to get this, as Kagura simply cut Soledad's finger while she was sleeping. She truly was a deep sleeper, because Soledad didn't even flinch as she did it. Kagura took a deep breath as she followed the procedure that Naraku had told her a century ago. Kagura quickly made a cut on her wrist, and put the vial underneath the wrist as the crimson liquid oozed out and into the vial. She quickly took the vial and spilled the blood over the kimono, placing the clump of hair where the head would actually be if a body was placed in the kimono.

Minutes passed. Then an hour passed, and then two. She sighed heavily, staring at the blank stone hedge that was shrouded in miasma and felt tears of frustration coming, blurring the vision. "The one time where I beg for you to come," she said softly.

"Soledad's alive again, and she stole Sesshomaru from you, didn't she?" a deep voice whispered in Kagura's ear, as a cold hand touched her shoulder. "I can avenge you."

---0---0---0---

"You were good.....very good." a husky voice whispered lustily as he got up from the bed to kiss the woman's neck. The woman, with violet eyes and porcelian skin, had her back towards the lizard demon. She tilted her neck over for him, slowly smirking as she slowly got up.

"Well, since we have already had our fun, would you like something to know something about me?" she whispered huskily as she looked over the demon before her. He smirked and scanned her up and down.

"Whether or not your coming back into this bed?" She chuckled.

"No." she quickly put a robe over her before finishing her sentence. "But this face is the last thing you'll ever see." Before the lizard demon could react, his blood was already splattered on the wall, and his hand fell limply on the side of the bed. The woman wiped the blood off of her mouth and quickly got her clothes on. As she exited the room, a servant was about to enter. The woman placed a finger on her lips. "He's very tired, and I doubt you would want to be the one to disturb him." she said in the young girl's ear. The servant quickly ran away as soon as she realized the risk.

"Now, how am I going to get out of this situation?"

---0---0---0---


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Kawari

Kawari's POV

My name is Kawari, and I can be whatever your heart desires.

I am a full blooded shape shifting demon. Ever since my aunt, who was my only family, was killed by a ruthless and powerful demon, I have used my abilities to my advantage. Whatever someone wants me to be, I can become, real or imaginary. I can look into your mind and find out what kind of woman any man wants, and I can become that. And for the past century, I have been doing this, and when the man's guard is down, I kill them, either to gather information about my aunt's killer or for a paid job.

But no murder has filled that void that has been with me for so long, because a few weeks after my aunt was killed by Naraku, he mysteriously died, some say for a woman, but everyone has their different opinion or twist to the story. Even if they do say a woman was the reason for his death, anyone I have spoken to always have a different description of the woman, so being able to transform into the right girl before reaching the castle was pretty much impossible. But from the information I had gotten from the lizard demon I had just killed earlier, I found out he is now alive again.

Normal POV

Kawari sighed as she looked down at her reflection in the lake. "No one told me this shape shifting thing would have such horrible effects on one's self esteem." she said to herself. Just a few days ago she was a petite woman with porcelain skin, pin straight hair, and purple eyes, and today in her natural form she had lime green eyes, loosely curled auburn hair and an athletic body type. She tugged at the sky blue kimono she had taken from the castle she had escaped from. She knew she wasn't horrid in her natural form, but for some reason she felt more beautiful when she transformed for one of her jobs, because it was like being guaranteed that she would be noticed and wanted.

She looked at her surroundings. She wasn't very sure of where she actually was, but she assumed that she was close to her destination, because there was miasma oozing out into the distance, which many had said was a tell tale sign that he was there. It seemed strange to her that the forest around her looked so peaceful and only a few miles away the man whom everyone either detested or feared was alive again. She pushed on of her curls out of her face as she tried looking through the miasma to find the castle, but it was to no avail. "Stop being so scared Kawari," she whispered to herself, angry at the fact that she was already so nervous. "You've done this a thousand times, and this one will be no different."

She sighed, and she forced her feet to begin moving again. She hadn't had this feeling in a long time, and she couldn't understand why. She had been waiting so long for this chance, with countless hours of training and hundreds of murders under her belt, yet this one felt different, and she didn't understand why.

She continued on, and as she got farther and farther into the miasma, she noticed the environment began to change. The once peaceful and beautiful forest was now full of withering and dying vegetation. She walked over to a rose bush and picked out a midnight blue rose, carefully placing it into her hair. _They weren't kidding when they said the miasma was strong, a mortal would've died half a mile ago_, she thought to herself as she continued on. She tried sensing someone there, hoping she could get through into Naraku's mind and find this woman he was lusting for, but she couldn't sense any thoughts, which just irritated and frightened her even more.

As the sight of a castle appeared into the horizon, she felt something come up. _Humph, he may be physically strong, but his mind still has some work to do..._ she thought as she slowly began to transform. She had a puzzled look on her face as her skin began to darken into a light mocha color, and her curls began to tighten slightly. After the few minutes that it took for her to transform, she went to a nearby puddle to look at her face. She had thick curly hair that was a chocolate brown, and she had a curvier body that was still toned and slim. But what struck her the most were the eyes. Her eyes seemed to go through every color, from a blue green in the center to a light brown on the outside of the iris. _It's something I wouldn't have expected, but I can tell why he wanted her. She's beautiful. _she thought to herself. She felt a pang of jealousy come in her, but she continued onto the path.

---0---0---0---

"Hello?" Soledad called out as she opened the door to what seemed like an abandoned hut. She had reached a village that was surprisingly made up of half demons, which seemed ironic because even though Sesshomaru always claimed he detested, she found a village after she left the castle a week ago. Even though she did feel lonely and isolated during the week she had traveled on foot, she felt relief that now Sesshomaru and Kagura could live together and maybe even be happy. She knew she'd be lying to herself if she said she hated Sesshomaru, even with what had occurred the past couple of weeks, but she knew this was for the best. She stepped lightly dimmed room, and as she entered she felt her stomach knot up, as if there was something bad here.

"Yes dear?" Soledad jumped up at the sound of a voice, only to turn around and see an elderly woman standing behind her. She laughed nervously and attempted to smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was alarmed to see you there." she said with a half smile. "I was wondering if there was a vacant hut or room that I could live in....I feeling that I need a fresh start." The old woman's lips tugged into a smile.

"Well, my dear, there is. A woman had just died a week ago, so I hope you don't mind that too much." Soledad shook her head. "I will show you where the hut is." the woman said softly. As they left the hut, Soledad sensed someone was nearby, but she couldn't figure out who it could be. But she shrugged it off as they continue through the village. The usual calls of merchants rang in the air as they sold various goods from fish to garments. As she was absorbing the atmosphere of the village, she pondered whether or not she should stay in the country at all. Maybe if she saved enough money she could leave her past behind and truly start the new life she was trying to create for herself.

"I know this may sound I but nosy, but where was your previous residence? Your fine clothes suggest it must have been a lovely abode." Soledad promptly looked down at her kimono. She had forgotten she was wearing her violet kimono with a black obi, it was a simple kimono out of the ones she had, but the fabric manifested that it was worth a pretty penny.

"Oh, yes, I did reside in a place where the owner was well off, but I found that the two of us would be happier if we were apart." The elderly woman stopped walking once Soledad had finished her sentence, turning towards her. Even though Soledad was about six inches taller than the elderly woman, the deep brown eyes drenched in vexation penetrated through Soledad. The woman's tiny, wrinkled hands that were latent in her scarlet kimono grabbed Soledad's own firmly.

"Well, I hope it was for the best, and that you won't regret it." She said as she lightly tapped Soledad's hands.

"I hope not either." Soledad whispered softly as they continued down to the house.

---0---0---0---

"Mother, you're home!" Sol shrieked out as Kagura swiftly came up to the palace steps. As soon as the guards allowed Kagura in Sol almost tackled her mother to the ground.

"You know Sol, I am not physically capable of handling these mauling all the time." she groaned as she lifted herself up. Kagura began refixing the bun that was made loose by her physical assault.

"Well, you certainly deserved it, mother. Do you realize how long you were gone for?" Sol asked her. "And what you missed?" she whispered.

"Kagura." A shiver went down Kagura's spine as she heard the cold baritone voice call her name. "Come here." it commanded. Sol's eyes flickered with worry as her mother quickly went down the hallway to meet the demon lord.

"Yes?" she said as calmly as she could muster. She knew that this wasn't going to be one of the most positive conversations they've had, not like the past ten had been anyway.

"I noticed the kimono was gone." he stated calmly.

"My dear, there are hundreds of kimonos in the palace, you must state which one you mean." she said in a nonchalant manner. Sesshomaru growled softly.

"Onna, do not test me. You know which kimono I am talking about. And you must know that Soledad is gone now." An unexpected smirk emerged on Kagura's face.

"Oh did she? Good riddance to her. I hope you two had all your fun while I was gone." Kagura said bitterly as she turned to walk away. But before she could even blink he roughly grabbed her arm, causing her to hiss in pain.

"Don't speak of her like that."

"Oh yes, and calling her a whore was such a considerate compliment to her. And no, I had nothing to do with her leaving. But I made sure the two of you will never be together again." Kagura glared at him before ripping her arm out of his grasp, turning to him one more time before heading to her room. "Maybe you should've had your fun with her after all." she said sharply.


	10. Chapter 10

"Haruka, let me see her again." Naraku whispered darkly through the shadows. Haruka placed her head down, and allowed her master to see the scene through her. Naraku smirked as an image in front of him in a mist like form began to appear. Haruka was nearly the same as Kanna. So obedient, and loyal, it seemed up to this point. The only differences were the appearances. She had long midnight blue hair along with his identical red eyes that were void of emotion, and she had the power of not only showing him others like Kanna, but she had the ability of controlling the emotions of weaker demons and humans, which he knew would be to his advantage. Naraku's eyes glistened in pleasure as he saw Soledad walking through the miasma. His smirk, latent through the shadows, widened as he looked over her body lustfully. She was still as beautiful as when he had seen her last. She had on a blood red kimono, which had a black obi, and was slit through the sides, allowing her long legs to come through every few steps. His eyebrows scrunched, however, when she seemed to smirk confidently. He knew she couldn't she him, yet why would she smirk as she advanced towards him, after hating every fiber in her body?

_Has she already had her troubles with her lover?_ He thought mockingly. If he remembered Kagura, her false confidence around him only a few days proved her marriage was at an all time low. Yet he assumed that both Soledad's and Sesshomaru's pride would be tarnished if any affair began between the two of them. _She shouldn't have known I was alive, however…so though it would seem logical, she wouldn't have come to me to kill Sesshomaru for some kind of vengeance._ He pondered to himself.

"Hebi." He called out roughly. A demon soon came to him and bowed. "Get me that girl." Naraku said, his finger coming through the shadows. The demon's eyes met his master's crimson ones, and he bowed again, leaving the room. "Time to see what's truly going on." He whispered.

---0---0---0---

Kawari's smirk widened as she began seeing a large castle in the distance. Seeing she was only a few miles away from the man she detested most, she was now pondering which would be the best way to kill him. _Shall I slit his throat after he is done having his fun? Should I stab him, or maybe I should poison him, to see him die slowly. It would be nice to know that of the two times this bastard would die, one would be of my own doing._ She thought, noticing her confidence was rising slowly. She quickly turned her head to the side as she heard something approaching her.

"Who's there?" she yelled, trying to seem intimidating to whoever was trying to reach her. The purple could surrounding her made everything close seem obscure, and yet she could see two dark eyes hanging lowly on the ground. She took out her dagger from its dark leather sheath, cautiously backing away from the figure.

"My dear, if you would, allow me to bite into your pretty flesh…." The figure whispered darkly. Before she could answer, the serpent with dark eyes struck her. She hissed in pain as the serpent bit into her leg. She stabbed it in the neck, and the serpent twisted ackwardly and hissed in pain. She limped away, trying to move as quickly as she could to the caslte, as she heard the creature moving through the grass.

"I was definetly not expecting this." She whispered to herself in pain as she gripped her right leg. "Oh, no." she said as her eyes got blurry. She fell to the ground, losing consciousness, feeling the serpent wrap his body around her.

"What a pretty present I have found for him." The demon purred as it dragged her body away.

---0---0---0---

Kawari's eyes slowly opened as she gained consciousness. She found she wasn't on the hard ground, and looked to see that she was on a plush bed. The bed was decorated with silver and black sheets, and she noticed she really couldn't see anything around her, the shadows blurring and distorting the shapes and objects around her. She moaned when she suddenly developed pain the back of her leg and remembered she was bit there. She was going to grab her leg, but felt a restraint, only to look up and see that there were chains around her hands and legs.

_I should have guessed someone like him wouldn't have just let me wander around...._ she thought, rolling her eyes. She tried looking around her once more to see if she could make out anything, but it was too dark. _Is it already nighttime?_ she thought to herself, trying to find a window to at least guess what time it was. She turned her head, only to see dark eyes with bright pupils staring back at her. She gasped in surprise at the eyes, and there was a dark chuckle that erupted from the area that sent shivers down her spine.

"Scared?" the man's baritone voice whispered smoothly. She huffed in annoyance, not answering the man that she saw on her left. A dark gray, scaly, hand suddenly grabbed her face, and she saw part of his face through the darkness.

"Too proud to say anything to me, wench?" he growled, his eyes slit with anger.

"Who are you?" she said angrily. _This can't be Naraku, can it? Everyone told me he was a spider demon!_ she thought in confusion. She tried to move away as she felt his other hand on her stomach, slowly sliding down.

"I'll make you find your place." the man whispered roughly. She growled softly in defiance, and in the only way she could think of to defend herself was to spit at him. "You bitch!" he hissed and he was about to slap her.

"Hebi, get away from her, she's not for your amusement." Kawari turned to look in the direction from where she heard the voice. The man turned to the voice as well and got up from the bed.

"Then who is she? She seems to be nothing but a wench that is not from our lands." Hebi said gruffly. _Him._ Kawari thought as she saw a figure move towards the man he called Hebi, his ruby eyes flashing out of the darkness surrounding them. The only thing she knew about Naraku, which everyone surprisingly agreed on, were that he had striking red eyes.

"You will not touch her. She is only of my importance, and I will find a good punishment for you if you even touch her. Find some dying whore in the miasma if you need to find a whore." he said darkly. Hebi turned to look at Kawari once more, and she heard the door slide open and close. Kawari turned to see Naraku looking at her lustfully. _If only it was truly for me._ Kawari thought quickly. Naraku turned and moved some curtains away from a window she hadn't noticed, allowing the stars and the full moon too illuminate the room a little more. She could see that the room was elaborately decorated, with a drawer that seemed to be made of expensive agarwood, and there were some chairs filled with black and silver pillows that were thrown over, and some other pieces of furniture that she still couldn't make out. She felt the bed move down a bit as Naraku sat down next to her. Kawari moved agaisnt her hip to see if her dagger was still there. _Shit_. she thought. _He must've taken my weapons away._ She saw Naraku smirk at her when she moved around. She looked at him. His pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, and his thick wavy hair fell onto her face. He was more eerily handsome than all of the stories she had heard of him.

"My, my, after all these years. How ironic is it that you hated my guts before you died, and today I had found you walking around through my miasma." he said, a claw running across her cheek, runnning shivers down her spine. "I assume the timeless romance of Soledad and Sesshomaru ended before eternity." he said sarcastically. She looked at him smugly, trying to see how much information about the woman she was disguised as she could get. She had heard of Sesshomaru, of course, him being the Lord of the Western Lands. But she knew that he had a mate. _I guess she was a mistress of his_. she thought logically. Her hazel eyes looked at him.

"Yes," she whispered haughtily. "I left him a few days ago. It wasn't...working out as well as I had planned when I got back to the castle." she said simply. "He's not the man I thought him to be." Naraku looked at her, as if he was trying to search for something. She suddenly began to get nervous, he was trying to some way trick her.

"And what role am I in your dire situation?" he asked her.

"I want him dead. He broke my heart, and I want more than payback. I want to feel his blood on my hands. You were the only one I know that could do it, especially since I had heard what you had come back to our world." she told him. He smirked again, his eyes looking over her.

"..And what would I get in return?" he whispered huskily into her ear.

"I know what you want." she responded back in the same tone. She felt his hand on her thigh, and she smirked. Maybe this wouldn't take as long as she thought. She felt his lips roughly come in contact with hers, and she kissed him back, noticing how soft his lips were. As he kissed her, she felt his hand slowly moving up her leg as he went on top of her form. She moaned softly as his mouth moved towards her neck and found her vulnerable spot. He began untying her obi and as his hand climbed up to her inner thigh, she began moving her hands. He looked up at her.

"Not yet, Soledad. Not after I have my part of the deal." he whispered, lust in his voice. She only smiled at him in return. As his hands roamed her body, Kawari found herself enjoying this. _Wonder why she hated him._ she thought as she smirked.

"Are you ready?" he asked her suddenly. He stopped and looked at her, his eyes almost piercing through her. She smiled playfully at him.

"Of course I am." she replied. She saw sudden anger in his eyes.

"You are not Soledad." he hissed.


	11. Chapter 11

Hi, everyone! I am so happy, and I suppose you all are too, because I updated again in a week! YAY! Anyway, before I start, I just wanted to say thank you to all the reviews and advice. It means a lot.

Chapter 11

"Soledad?" Soledad snapped back into reality, looking around for the voice that called her. She turned to her left to see the elderly woman she had met the first day she had arrived. Soledad smiled slightly when she saw the woman approach her. She was finally feeling somewhat comfortable in the village. Though most people were somewhat nervous around her, no one had yet to disrespect her because she was a demon or for her color, and she was secretly grateful for it.

"Oh, hello Aneko." Soledad said brightly. Soledad got up to greet her. To Soledad, Aneko was like a new mother, or a mentor she could at least trust. "I'm sorry, Aneko, I know you asked me to bring some water, but I guess I dozed off a bit." she said, feeling blood rush up to her cheeks. She lightly chuckled as she looked at the wooden bucket she brought with her. She was next to the river, yet there wasn't a drop in the bucket.

"Oh, it's fine, child. I was just worried about you. You were gone for over a half an hour." Aneko told Soledad. Aneko furrowed her eyes in worry, placing her hand gently on Soledad's shoulder. "What is troubling you, if I may know?"

Soledad felt a heaviness in her chest. Even though she had been in the village for over a month, running around to keep herself busy, all she could think about was Sesshomaru. She thought of all kinds of things relating to him. What was he doing at that moment, was he thinking about her? What did Sol think about her? Was Kagura happy she was gone, and was Kagura's and Sesshomaru's relationship healing somewhat since she left? She knew their relationship wasn't very healthy before she entered the picture, yet she hoped they were even the tiniest bit happy together now.

"Is it about the man you left?" Aneko whispered softly. Soledad's tears blurred her eyes, yet she manged to keep them from spilling down her cheeks.

"Oh, no, no Aneko. I'm fine, I've gotten over him." she said quickly, hoping it sounded convincing. Aneko shook her head and smiled softly.

"Dear, if there is something I have noticed over the past month that you have been here, it's that you wear your feelings on you face." Aneko told her. "I came here for another reason as well." Aneko said to Soledad. "There's someone here to see you."

---0---0---0---

Kawari was thrown across the dark, dank room. As she collided with the stone wall, she heard a rib crack, and hissed in pain, not daring to get up from where she lay. She sobbed softly as she heard Naraku's steps approach her. He knelt down to meet her eyes, and when Kawari turned her head away, Naraku dug his nails into her jaw and roughly turned her head to meet his eyes. She whimpered softly as she saw his eyes blaze in fury.

Ever since she had been 'found out', Kawari had been chained to a wall in the dark dungeon for two weeks, with no water or food. She thought he was simply going to let her die here, and at this moment she was wishing he was that merciful. She coughed as she found it hard to breath with the broken rib. Naraku's jaw clenched in frustration, his crimson eyes meeting her green ones.

"Now, you've decided to return to your true form, hm?" he hissed harshly. When she didn't dare to answer him, he struck her face, Kawari whimpering in pain. "How dare you try to deceive me?! I should have known from the beginning. Soledad would have never been willing to give herself to me, no matter how much she loathed Sesshomaru." he growled. He grabbed her rib cage, clawing at the area Kawari's broken rib was. Kawari howled in pain.

"Please, I'm sorry, I don't know anything."

"Don't give me that bull!" he yelled, standing up, hovering over her. "Where is she?" he barked.

"I...don't..I don't know!" she cried out. He kicked her on the other side of her body, causing Kawari to curl up into a ball as a new wave of pain surged through her.

"Where is she?!" he yelled again. She didn't bother to answer, and she kicked her roughly again.

"Please, stop, I don't know." she coughed, tasting blood in her mouth. "I am not associated with Lord Sesshomaru or anyone else. I....came here to kill you myself." she told him. She tensed up, closing her eyes in order to brace herself for the next blow.

"Stupid wench. Thinking you could kill me." he told her, crouching down. He gently moved her hair and put his mouth close to her ear. "Then you will find the real Soledad for me." he whispered. Kawari began coughing violently again, thanking Kami that she heard his footsteps move away from her before losing consciousness.

---0---0---0---

"S-Shinto?!" Soledad said in surprise as she saw the demon general on the outskirts of the village. When Aneko had said someone was there for her, she thought foolishly that Sesshomaru was there, yet she was very surprised to see Shinto there at the same time. She smiled as she ran over to greet him, barely noticing the other villagers cowering in fear. Shinto was wearing his normal attire with dark gray pieces of armor. There were about twenty demon soldiers behind him, all standing up with a sense of pride, all of them dressed in their gold and red uniforms. When she reached Shinto, she first turned to the demons behind him and bowed slightly to greet them.

"Shinto, what are you doing here?" she asked him, giving him a hug. She was happy to see him, since she had last seen him two months ago, yet she frowned slightly when he didn't return the embrace. "What kind of greeting was that? I haven't seen in you so long! Are you coming back from your military trip?" she asked him.

"I have been searching for you for weeks, Soledad. What are you doing here?" Shinto questioned her. She sighed.

"I decided to leave the castle a bit early. I know, I am really sorry, I felt terrible for never saying goodbye to you--" she said quickly.

"As soon as I had gotten home, Sesshomaru demanded that my best soldiers and I find you and return you to the castle. He said you ran away." Shinto explained. Soledad's mouth fell open and she squinted slightly in anger.

"So you're here, with your group," she said, pointing towards the soldiers behind him, "because he 'claimed' I ran away from the castle?!" she placed her hand into her hair and sighed angrily. "Of course he would do this." she said to herself softly.

"Well, I was ordered to bring you back, thus, we must head back to the castle." Shinto said simply, grabbing her arm. She roughly tore her arm away.

"I'm not going back. I left for a reason. Tell him that you couldn't find me." she told him.

"Soledad, you must realize that excuse won't work. I have been looking for you for two weeks, and I couldn't find you. He will smell your scent on me and he will have my head if I return empty handed." he said, his arm reaching for her again. She dodged it quickly.

"I told you, I left for a reason. Tell him you found me, but I'm not going back. I don't want to see him again." Soledad said defiantly, knowing the latter part of the sentence wasn't true.

"You must come with me Soledad. There's no choice."

"I'm making mine now." she said, turning away from Shinto to head back into the village.

"Well then, Soledad, explain to me why I was told to look for you, because I don't think Sesshomaru would be this crazy about bringing an old sparring buddy back into the castle." Shinto told her, stopping Soledad in her tracks.

---0---0---0---

"Why didn't you knock?" Sesshomaru growled in annoyance as he heard the door to his study open. He didn't bother looking up to see who it was, he was too engrossed in the treaty in front of him. Sol entered the room and quickly shut the door behind her as she looked at her father.

"Father, I must speak to you." Sol said simply, mimicking the almost unemotional tone of her father. She sat down as he didn't respond to her. After a few moments, he sat up at looked at his daughter.

"What?" Sol rolled her eyes, already becoming annoyed with him.

"I want to know the truth of what had happened between you and Soledad a few weeks ago." she said simply. He looked into his daughter's eyes, not breaking eye contact for a second.

"That was simply a moment of weakness, one that you will never find from me again." he said simply. He had a look of slight annoyance. "Is that all?"

"No, because I know there's more. You didn't hire those tutors in order to raise an idiot for a daughter." she said sharply. Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow. She had the spunk that Kagura once had years before. "Who is she to you, father?"

"She was someone I sparred with in the past." he lied.

"Don't give me the same crap you've told everyone in the castle. She may be very skilled, but I don't think it's common to care for a sparring partner enough to kiss them like that." she said. "Was she a former mistress that you had on the side a few years ago?"

"This Sesshomaru doesn't care to have any more than one woman to deal with." he said simply.

"Then who the hell is she?!" she almost yelled. He frowned slightly in anger.

"Do you want to know why I married your mother?" Sesshomaru growled, his claws digging into the wooden chair. Sol broke the eye contact and twiddled her fingers before answering.

"Because at some point you cared for her?" she said, lacking confidence as she said it slowly.

"No." he said coldly. "It's because Soledad was my mate and before she died, she asked me to marry Kagura, because she had cared for me. I never cared for your mother." he said harshly. Sol's eyes widened in confusion before she slightly slumped at the news she just heard.

"Oh." she said softly. "I didn't know...."

"Of course you didn't know." he said, regaining his composure slowly. "No one knows unless they have served me for over one hundred and fifty years." Sol brushed some loose hair off her face back and tucked it behind her ear.

"Well," she said, he voice slightly cracking, "I guess it's my fault for wanting to know, and now I'm upset." she said softly. When Sesshomaru didn't answer, she sighed before continuing. "I primarily came in here, to tell you why the wedding was off." she looked up at her father, his eyes still stoic and plain. "I cancelled the wedding, because...I felt I wouldn't be able to truly celebrate a union with my parent's own union crumbling because of Soledad." she said softly.

"That's a foolish reason. Why did you feel you had to cancel your wedding because of my own relationship? You must have realized that your mother and I haven't been happy for years." Sesshomaru asked her.

"Because, the inevitable scandal that was going to occur wouldn't be covered by a union between two lands. I knew that everyone would be talking about you and Soledad having an affair only days after seeing how you two seemed to click, even when you weren't speaking to eachother. I knew something was up, I just didn't want to say anything." Sesshomaru sighed.

"I want you to be happy, Sol. If you truly love that man, I believe you should still marry him." he told her. He walked over to her, and placed his hand as lovingly as he could on her shoulder. "You, out of all of us, should be happy."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Of all the times that Soledad had been in silence, this was definitely the worst. The only sounds that she could hear were the soft snores and breathes of the other demons, the crickets in the forest all around them, and the crackling of the fire which was the only light they had that night. She tried looking up at the sky to ease her anxiousness, but it did no good; it was one of those rare nights when no star was in sight. She sighed impatiently at Shinto's silence, feeling like the seconds were taking hours.

Soledad only agreed to go with Shinto for his safety. Knowing Sesshomaru, he would have gone into a rage if Shinto came back empty handed because of her own doing. But she simply pretended that she was absolutely exhausted about fifty miles into their journey so then if she wanted to or needed to, she could silently escape late at night when the rest were asleep. It was difficult leaving her second mother at the village, but she knew her new life wouldn't last long. And just now, late at night when no one else could be able to hear the two of them speaking, Soledad revealed everything about her past, especially her past with Sesshomaru, feeling a weight slowly lifting off her shoulders with every word that she had spoken to the general. And now, with the silence around the two it felt like the burden was dumped back on.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?" she whispered softly to him. She gradually got herself to look up at him rather than down on the persimmon colored fire in front of them. She had told him everything he wanted to know. Soledad knew that this 'secret' between Sesshomaru and herself wouldn't last; even when she had 'told' Sol what her life was about she had consciously left out the part of them being lovers. And now that Shinto knew the story, she was worried about how their relationship as friends would change.

_I wouldn't be surprised if he was upset. _Soledad thought to herself_. He was completely honest with me, and yet I wasn't honest with him at all..._

"Hmph." Shinto said, chuckling nervously. Soledad knew he was calculating his words carefully as he always did. She gently brought his chin up to face him. She looked down and took a deep breath before meeting his eyes.

"I know, this was a lot of information to deal with; yet I need you to say something, **anything**.**" **she sighed before continuing. "I need you to say it how you feel, and how you truly feel about this situation that unfortunately Sesshomaru and I put on you." Shinto frowned slightly, breaking their gaze to look out into the forest for a few seconds.

"Well, now it makes sense that Lord Sesshomaru would be so angry that you had left and how he vehemently demanded for me to find you, whether it took me searching throughout the world." He slumped over and put his hand through his long hair. "Yet, I don't understand why I couldn't have been told of this before." Soledad bit her lip, feeling guilty for what she had done to him.

"I know." she said softly. "You should have been told, for you and Sol were the only ones somewhat left out in the dark about the whole situation. But the only reason why I didn't was because I was afraid." Shinto raised a eyebrow at her comment.

"Afraid of what? Why would telling me about you and Sesshomaru being former lovers scare you?" Soledad looked down again, shifting her hands over her forest green kimono.

"...I was afraid of saying that I had loved him out loud because then maybe the words would've been true." she laughed lightly at herself. "I know it sounds stupid, but it's the truth. Ever since I had re entered the castle, I have felt as if I could simply bury my feelings for him, and that after the wedding I could go and move on. Start a new life." she explained, feeling the familiar pressure in her throat when she knew she was about to tear up. Shinto shifted around on the grass to face her completely, and took her hands from her lap into his own.

"Soledad, you must stop this. You're only going to hurt yourself." she wiped a tear off her cheek, made at letting herself get emotional again.

"I had to, Shinto. For the sake of the marriage between Sesshomaru and Kagura, for the sake of our reputations, for the-"

"Enough." he said roughly, causing Soledad to tense up slightly. Shinto shook his head. "From what you have told me, all your life you have had to start anew. To find your way again to make someone else happy, whether it hurt you emotionally or not. Everyone in that damn castle knows that their marriage was a failure from the beginning, and the elder servants and workers knew it was because they didn't have the love that you two had." He was silent again, trying to find the words to say again. Soledad was miserable at this point. She was happy that they were speaking; but not about her life and problems.

"Soledad, I know you will never care for me the way I do for you, but if I can leave you with anything it would be this: I would feel complete and utter sorrow for you if your last thought in this life was that you could never be happy because you had to let someone else have it. And if you don't go back to Sesshomaru, I promise that this will be your last thought."

-0-0-0-

"They're here! They're here, father!" Sol squealed as she looked out towards the front gates. A large dragon much like Ah Un was flying towards them, yet this one was one of a metallic gray hue, and had the colors of black and a plum purple adorning him, representing the colors of the Northern Lands of Japan. Once the dragon had landed suprisingly softly on the ground for one of its size, a tall young man looking about only twenty years of human age stepped out. He was about 6 and a half feet tall, with striking and lively silver eyes, which stood out against his long dark violet hair. He wore similar clothes to Sesshomaru himself, being a lord like him, yet his clothes were of the colors of his land. Sol raced towards him and shrieking in delight as she collided with him.

"Oh, Daiki, I missed you so much while you were gone." she said, holding his waist tightly. Kagura shook her head and walked over to the couple.

"Sol, don't make yourself seem like a child. Act with some dignity." Kagura scolded. Daiki smiled softly at Kagura.

"It's fine, Lady Kagura, for only Kami knows how much I have missed her as well." he said, looking down at Sol and softly stroking her hair. Daiku after a few seconds let go of

Sol to bow at Kagura and Sesshomaru to pay his respects.

"Thank you both for allowing me into your home and allowing for our marriage to be on these lands. I am sure it will be a joyous celebration for our two regions." Daiku assured. Kagura smiled politely at him, while Sesshomaru remained cold as ever.

Sesshomaru stood silently, watching the group. He wasn't particularly fond of Daiku from the beginning, not only because he wasn't a dog demon, but in Sesshomaru's eyes, he wouldn't be the strong leader his father was. Yes, Daiku was a just man to his people and was a strong fighter, but could he lead an army? Watch his soldiers die in war without allowing so much as an ounce of weakness show through his face? Or even deal with the pressures of being almost a diety to the people of your land and holding the expectations of them?

Sesshomaru only sighed. Sol had fallen in love with him many years ago, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had to let them marry. The one thing he knew about Daiku that he was somewhat satisfied with was that we would probably be a wonderful husband to her.

"Where are your parents, Daiku?" Sol asked him curiously, looking around for the rest of the group.

"They are to be here in a few days. They said they plan on arriving two days before the ceremony, so they should have halfway through their traveling now." he told her, smiling widely at her. Another difference between the two lords was that one would show a whole range of emotions and feelings, while the other remained stoic at all times, not allowing anyone read their thoughts.

Sol smiled again at Daiku and tugged at his sleeve. "You must see the room that we have for you now! I had helped decorate the room with the servants, and its only a few doors away from mine!" Sol exclaimed. Daiku followed Sol into the hallway, blabbering on excitedly about the room and the ceremony until Kagura and Sesshomaru were out of earshot.

Kagura and Sesshomaru, now alone, simply glanced at eachother as if they were complete strangers, a silence between the two. After a few seconds of this, Sesshomaru, a little impatient and annoyed with the non existent connection between the two, swiftly turned around towards the eastern corrider. "I will be in my study. Do not bother to annoy me today." he said simply before leaving the room.

-0-0-0-

"What do you mean she is gone?" Kawari hissed. She had pinned a man down onto a tree from the village where supposedly Soledad was at. The man whimpered in fear, his limps wildly flailing around at a pathetic attempt to escape the shape shifting demon.

"I-I don't -know! She left yesterday afternoon with a group of demons! I didn't even know who she really was!" the man wailed. He grabbed onto the arm Kawari was using to hold him up and tried to break her grip. "Please, please, let me go! This is all the information I know! I have only heard town gossip. I'm not even sure of who she was, I swear!" Growing impatient, Kawari tightened her grip on the man's neck, and transformed into Soledad.

"Do you know who this is now? Tell me before I slit your throat right here!" she demanded. The man yelped, and Kawari looked down in disgust over the fact that the man had soiled himself in fear. "Damn it, you will be of no use, disgusting human." she snarled, slicing his throat with her free hand and dropping his limp form to the ground.

She had been traveling for over a week, trying to find any trace of the woman, and when she had heard through travelers that an dark skinned demon was residing with a village nearby in the Western Lands, she was expecting to find her. But with just her luck, she had managed to find a few weak humans and half demons who could give her only minimal information. She returned into her natural form, finding amusement in the cowering faces of the villagers as she left and headed north like some of the others claimed Soledad had done.

_I must find this Soledad before she reaches Sesshomaru's castle. I need this to have my own freedom, even if it costs another one's theirs._ she thought. As she was about to leave, she heard an elderly woman advancing towards her.

"What do you want, human?" The elderly woman continued moving towards her and Kawari turned around and looked down at her. What could this weak elder provide her?

"I have heard that you are looking for Soledad." Aneko stated calmly. Kawari smirked.

"And what would you know about her, old lady?" Aneko placed her hands on her hips and glared at Kawari.

"Old lady or not, I still shall demand respect from you, demon." Aneko warned. Kawari rolled her eyes.

"Well, I suppose you're out of luck on that part, because I don't care what you want. I could kill you right here if I wanted to." Kawari stated defiantly.

"Demon, you must leave our village. Soledad does not reside with us anymore. She left yesterday.

"Don't you think I've already learned that?"

"Yes, but she is with a group of the demon Lord Sesshomaru's best men, and unless you are a fool, you will not dare go near her or the group." Aneko told her. Kawari stepped closer to the woman, looking down at her.

"I am pretty sure I can take care of myself, don't you worry." Kawari squatted down to meet the gaze of Aneko. "How about you just tell me where they headed rather than being a mom, okay?" Aneko shook her head.

"They headed up north to return Soledad to the castle." Aneko said. "But I warn you again, demon, unless you want a death sentence on your life, you will not follow them." Aneko called out while Kawari strode away from her. Kawari didn't answer, but she knew that this death sentence she was headed to would be better than returning to Naraku any day.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey everyone! This is Chapter 13, and I decided to write another chapter again before waiting 20395930859238 years like I had before! Well, this is the beginning of the wedding ceremony for Sol and Daiki :D, and then a scene with Shinto with Soledad is at the end. I tried making the Japanese wedding ceremony as accurate as I possibly could, I researched a lot. And there's an explanation for any foreign words with a small number next to them at the bottom, so feel free to look down there anytime you need to!

Chapter 13

"Oh, Lady Sol, you look absolutely magnificent! Daiki will not be able to take his eyes off of you!" Oni exclaimed. Sol smiled gently and blushed as the other servants agreed, all satisfied with the work they had all put in all morning. Kagura squeezed her daughter's hand, smiling softly along with her daughter in front of the bedroom vanity, the two staring at their reflections.

"I am so happy for you; you look stunning." Kagura said softly. Sol was surprised when she began seeing tears form in her mother's eyes.

"Awww mom, don't cry. You're going to make me start tearing up if you do. And I am positive the servants wouldn't be too happy about that!" Soledad said, chuckling softly and looking up at the servants around her. "And I've never been so pale in my life!" she laughed, causing Kagura to smile softly again in amusement. While Sol at times became annoyed while all the maids around her trying to put her in the dress, fix her hair, do her makeup, and all the other necessities, she couldn't believe the result, and how heavy and elaborate everything was.

She had the traditional _katsura(__1)_ placed on her head, which was definitely heavier than Sol had ever expected it to be. On the katsura were silver, gold, purple and red kanzashi(2) all placed together in order to symbolize the joining of the two regions. Her face and the rest of her body were completely painted white in order to symbolize purity, with her lips being stained a deep red color to emphasize their fullness. But the most awe inspiring part was her _shiro-maku(__3)_. It was made out of the finest silk Sol had ever worn, and the outer layer made of lace and was embroidered with sakura blossom designs all over it. Sol smiled at her reflection once more and took a deep breath, finally realizing that this was her wedding day.

"Let me bring you my _hakoseko(__4) _ and _haiken(__5).__" _Kagura exclaimed happily, leaving the room to allow the lingering servants to help her move around the room. _No wonder okasan preached about perfect posture!_ Sol thought to herself as she tried keeping the wig in balance, praying she wouldn't look like a fool during the ceremony. As she got more comfortable walking around with her shiro-maku and katsura, Kagura entered in with the hakoseko. Sol delicately placed her hand to her mouth in order to not smudge any of the makeup done. The hakoseko was gold, with an embroidered illustration of a dog demon standing proudly, with the grass shifting beneath him.

"It's beautiful, okasan..." she whispered to him, admiring the meaning of it. She looked up and smiled again at her mother. It had been a while since her mother seemed genuinely happy, and she was glad that she could share this moment with her. Sol took the haiken as well from her mother and nodded softly.

"It's seems insane, that this is all happening at once." Kagura took her hands and squeezed them gently.

"I have prayed that you would have this day and share it with a wonderful man. I prayed to the gods that your marriage will be a happy and long lasting one." A tear fell from Kagura's face, and she didn't bother wiping it off. Kagura chuckled softly. "But we cannot keep you here all day! We must get to the ceremony now!"

-0-0-0-

_I don't think I can do this._ Sol thought to herself, as she began walking over to the room where the ceremony was to be conducted. She was with Kagura and Soledad's former maid, Oni, but everything seemed like a blur. She was excited, and she loved Daiki, she truly did; yet she felt nauseous and weak, feeling like she could collapse at any second with the feelings almost exploding out of her. She tried to say something, yet her throat felt dry and her lips trembled when she separated them, and finally took in a breath, not realizing until then that she hadn't been breathing at all for a few seconds.

_What if I end like my parents? What if I am so unhappy with the marriage, but feel too weak to escape?_ she looked at her mother and dropped her head._ What if...my soul becomes weary and lose my spunk, like my mother's, because right from the start, the marriage was doomed to fail?_ she thought sorrowfully. But before she could think anymore of this and maybe even run away, she found herself at the door.

Sol stood at the door, simply staring at it blankly, not a feeling or thought passing through her, until her mother coughed slightly to get her attention. Laughing nervously, she slowly slid it open. As Sol entered the small room, she was greeted by her father, Daiki and his parents. Daiki sat on one end of the table, and Sol placed herself on the other end, kneeling down gracefully.

She looked up slowly at Daiki, and their eyes meet, with her crimson irises melting into his silver ones. And she instantly knew, she would never end up like her mother, for their love was a genuine one, and that the two were both here for the right reasons, and not because some one asked one of them to, just to make the other happy.

She blushed slightly, and began beaming at her _shujin(__6)_, who was wearing a simple kuro montsuki* not caring if it wasn't deemed proper for the ceremony. On the other side Daiki beamed back, as their parents were placed on the sides of the bride and groom facing each other, in order to symbolize the union of the two families.

Sesshomaru glanced at his young daughter with pride and affection, the latter being a very new feeling for him. He never imagined having a ceremony without the involvement of the traditional matchmaker, yet he knew that this was the best for his daughter to have found herself a life long partner on her own. And he wouldn't have imagined allowing his daughter to marry a coyote demon either, but his perspective on certain things changed within the past couple of centuries. Sesshomaru looked back in front of him, scanning Daiki's parents with his usual expressionless facade.

Daiki's mother was dressed in a lilac colored kimono, with her dark purple hair falling in loose curls down to her waist. Her eyes were a lively maroon color, which would've looked strange with her hair combination on anyone else but looked strikingly exotic on her. She being of royal blood had a calm and regal stare, with her lips upturned in a slight smile as she looked at Sol. Daiki's father was tall, with broad shoulders and rugged features, with his straight jet black hair in a low ponytail which came down to his waist as well. His striking silver eyes were almost as penetrating as Sesshomaru's, yet were prone to giving away his thoughts, making them less effective.

Yet, what caused Sesshomaru to arch his eyebrow in curiosity was that beside him, his mate was silently sobbing. He turned his head slightly to see that Kagura had a crimson fan in front of her face, but it would soon be obvious to the others of what she was doing. Kagura's body was slightly lurching over as she tried to keep the tears at bay, but he knew it was to no avail, and the tears were going to be inevitable.

Gracefully, Sesshomaru nodded his head in respect to the others in the room to excuse himself, and roughly grabbed Kagura's arm from underneath the table in order to bring her back up. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she was lifted up by her right arm, and she quickly half walked and was half dragged out of the room by the demon lord.

As soon as they were out of the room, Kagura's first tears fell from her face as she tried to muffle her sobbing. She didn't dare look up at Sesshomaru's eyes, because even though they were mostly expressionless, she knew there would be a glint of anger.

"What are you trying to do, Kagura, tarnish both your daughter and this Sesshomaru's reputation in front of the most important allies strategically and resourcefully these Western Lands could have?" he snarled harshly. Kagura let out a whimper as more tears fell down her face, and shook her head slightly.

"N-N-No, Lord Sesshomaru, I...I couldn't control it." Kagura wailed softly, knowing that this would not be enough for the Taiyoukai. She heard Sesshomaru growl, putting her nerves on edge for what he might do.

"Then what is your uncontrollable sobbing for?" he said impatiently. She calmed down a bit and took a breath to try to stabilize her breathing, but it didn't work too well.

"I-I-I saw them look at each other, and the expressions on their faces made it- made it- se- se- seem like...there wa- was no one else in the world b-but the two of them..." her body caved in slightly when she felt another wave of emotion sweep over her. "A-A-And...how in al-all our years of marriage, y-you have n-ne-never looked at me in that way for a-an instant." she said hiccuping at times. She knew that it would take a thousand miracles in order for him to openly feel remorse and guilt from her statement, yet hope fluttered in her chest that it might. She gazed up at him pathetically and waited for a response.

He broke his gaze from her, knowing that this was the truth, yet being the stubborn Taiyoukai he had always been, did not admit it.

"Don't give this Sesshomaru such a pathetic excuse." he said harshly, and felt it pain her as he said it. "As the Lady of the West, you should have enough composure to **control yourself** and not act like a child." he told her coldly. Kagura looked up into his eyes boldly, anger building inside of her, knowing the words she would say would be a gamble.

"A Lady of the West? Now you want to give me a title of respect? Hmph, that's the first time you've called me that. Is **this Sesshomaru** trying to make himself seem like a respectable demon in front of others when he is actually lusting after a hanyou whore?" she said coldly as she could, trying to mock him at the same time. He grabbed her throat tightly.

"Don't you make yourself seem superior to Soledad, for she is a full blooded dog demon with born into a family of high military rank, not the filthy spawn of a hanyou who couldn't even produce a male heir." he spat in his ear. He inhaled deeply, composing himself before continuing and grabbing her face to bring her ear to his mouth. "Now, you will wipe off your useless tears, we will re enter the room and you will stop with your foolishness. Do you understand?" When Kagura nodded in his hand, he released his grip off of her neck. Kagura's makeup was slightly smudged, but she quickly wiped it off, and obediently followed Sesshomaru back in. Kagura caught a glance from her daughter, whose eyebrows were scrunched in confusion and worry for her, but Kagura quickly broke the gaze and sat down, giving the two coyote demons on the other side of the low table a feeble smile, hoping it would be enough to convince them nothing had happened outside in the hallway. Unfortunately, her facade was not nearly as strong as her mate's.

"Mother, are you-" Sol began.

"I am fine, nothing happened." Kagura said, pulling her kimono up so that no one would notice the claw markings on her porcelain skin left by the dog demon sitting to the right of her. Sol gazed at her mother for a few more seconds in worry before focusing on the continuation of the ceremony.

After the vows and traditional procedures of the marriage ceremony were done, Oni brought in the tray of sake and cups in order to begin the _San San Ku Do(__7)._

The tray in front of the small group held the three traditional _sakazuki__8_ cups, with the largest one being on the bottom, and the two other becoming increasing smaller as they were stacked on top of each other, with the sake pitcher next to the cups. An elderly priest first took the smallest cup, placed in Daiki's hands, and tilted the sake pitcher two times slightly, before pouring the sake into the bowl on the third tilt. Daiki then raised the cup twice close to his mouth before drinking the sake the third time he raised the cup. The priest, taking the cup from Daiki, tilted the pitcher twice slightly like she had for Daiki before pouring sake into the small cup, and Sol imitated Daiki's actions. This was the same process for the other two cups, and once the last drop of sake was swallowed from the last cup, the now united and married couple handed the largest cup to their families, where the priest filled the cup with sake, and Sol's and Daiki's parents drank the sake, uniting their families as well; whether or not the stability of the families was certain.

-0-0-0-

_I don't think I can do this._

The short and simple message was screaming in Soledad's mind as she, Shinto and the small demon army trudged forward back to Sesshomaru's castle. She was still confused and in a sense in awe of what she was doing. She was going back to him. The man that she loved, the man she once loathed, the man with two such drastic personalities that at times she prayed to Amun gratefully that she was allowed to see the more gentle side that most never had seen or oven heard of from the Taiyoukai. And yet, she felt that she was giving up, and being submissive to go back.

"Soledad, are you alright?" Shinto asked her. Soledad fluttered her eyes a few times as she was torn away from her thoughts.

"Hmmm?" she responded softly, her eyes looking up curiously at the general.

"You seem to be lost in thought." he told her. She flicked her hand dismissively.

"Oh, I am alright, I just simply... deep in thought." Shinto arched his eyebrow in curiosity.

"And may I ask you what you were thinking about, if it does not offend?" Soledad's lips curved into a small smile.

"Oh, it was nothing important." she told him, shrugging her shoulders. They walked a little more, silence filling the air between them. "Heh." she said softly. Soledad looked up at him, staring right into his striking emerald eyes. "I just realized...Soledad must've had her wedding by now." she said softly. Even though their relationship at this point weren't on the best of terms, she was still somewhat disappointed that she couldn't be there because of the problems that had arisen.

"Well, actually, it is probably occurring right now." Shinto told her. Soledad looked down and smiled.

"To be frank, I am a little disappointed that I am not there right now." Soledad told him. She had always thought weddings were beautiful as a child. When her parents would take her to all the various countries and regions they traveled to, there always seemed to be a wedding, and being able to experience the ceremonies and traditions of each culture was both beautiful and breathtaking. "I love weddings." Shinto walked along silently with her before speaking.

"You say you love weddings." Shinto began. She looked at him, her face plastered in slight confusion as she listened to him. "And yet...you seem to want to evade any kind that would involve you in any other role other than a spectator." Her eyes widened at his statement, and she smirked at him.

"What are you trying to imply? Would you want me to marry a certain someone?" she asked him playfully.

"Soledad, do not take my comments too literally. You had already expressed what you feel about our relationship." her smirk disappeared and she frowned, feeling a little guilty for knowing she had pushed away his feelings for her, no matter how lightly she had tried to do so. She put her hands behind her.

"Well, though you tell me to not take your comments literally, there is always some level of truth in statements verbally expressed between people." she said, quoting her father. "So where does the truth lie?" she asked him. He turned his body slightly towards her, almost whispering so no others in the group could hear.

"Though you may believe that you can express emotions more clearly than Lord Sesshomaru and I, you are almost never confident in them and hold back." he whispered into her ear. "And that's why you run away, for you can not allow yourself to feel with your heart." he brought his body back up to its full height after finishing his statement.

Soledad looked down, absorbing what he had told her, and realized it was true. Yes, she felt that she could express herself just as much as the next person, yet when it came to truly accepting them and allowing them to guide her, she, nine times out of ten, let what she thought was rational guide her, and continually left or adapted in order to hopefully benefit others.

She shook her head. This was the exact opposite of what the basic Egyptian beliefs she was partly brought on by her mother stated. The heart was the one with the emotions; it was the organ that guided her body and what she should follow. That was the main reason for why it was left in the body; it was vital in order to pass through to the afterlife. And all her life, she rejected and defied her heart. Then she felt something wet fall on her cheek, and she let the tear fall.

"I've given to everyone else, but never allowed myself to own something and keep it to myself...I've never been truly selfish, especially for the most important aspects of life." she said softly, partially to herself and to Shinto. She looked up to him, and he nodded softly as he watched her slowly open her eyes. "I never let myself truly have him."

Her heart panged deep inside her chest as she thought about him. She loved him, and she couldn't deny it. Even after a century, the second their eyes locked in the large open hall, her heart called for him. And even when he acted like an ass, and called her the derogatory name in the dining room, through her violent sobs, she knew she wouldn't be able to hold a grudge against him for it.

And it annoyed the hell out of her.

Even as a child, she was so obstinate that she would go for months not speaking to her friends, until the latter came back on the verge of tears asking for forgiveness. True, her stubbornness her habit of holding vicious grudges were not part of her shining qualities, but she felt like it was a way to stay in control of her life, which changed constantly whether or not it was her own doing.

However, when it came to Sesshomaru, she felt that her attempts at holding a grudge against him were useless; for every time she looked into his golden irises and his sun struck his face, her heart melted and her eyes stared up in awe at his beauty. It was more than unfair, for he was off the hook concerning anything she was mad about just seconds before. She then tried to hate him for that as well, but the situation ended the same as always, with her giving in to him and forgetting what was done. She just wished that she could hold unto her anger when it came to him, but it never worked; it definitely didn't work when she was in his study the last time. When he looked into her eyes, she thought she had seen raw pain emerging through his eyes.

And though she hadn't realized it then, she now realized that their souls had found each other for a reason, and weren't about to be separated any time soon, if at all.

And that was when her constant thought when from _I don't think I can do this._ to _I need him, no matter what._

Okay, well that's the end to Chapter 13! To make sure you guys aren't completely confused about what the words were in the beginning, here's kind of a translation or explanation to what they were:

1- katsura- traditional wig in Japan that's used for special occasions, but mostly weddings. It can be made out of real or part synthetic hair, but obviously for the time setting and Sol's social class, it's all real hair.

2-kanzashi- hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles; they are also used for geishas and maikos, just a random fact :D

3- shiro-maku- Shiro, means white and maku means pure, it's the traditional wedding kimono, usually plain, which is worn during the ceremony.

4- hakoseko- a small purse worn by the bride in order to bring good luck.

5 kaiken- a small delicate dagger also carried by the bride to bring good luck.

_6-_ shujin- term for husband, or head of household, more traditional than the contemporary word danna.

7- San San Kudo- literally meaning 'three three nine times', its an ancient Japanese ceremony performed during the wedding that is still performed in modern Japanese weddings today.

*kuro montsuki- sorry, forgot to put this in until the last minute, and didn't feel like changing all the numbers again -_-. it's the traditional hakama that the groom wears during the wedding.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Mother, you must tell me what had happened outside." Sol said sternly for the third time. It was about an hour after the wedding ceremony, and Kagura was helping her daughter get ready for the _kekkon hireon_. Oni and the other servants were also supposed to be there helping her get ready, but Sol insisted on only requiring her mother. Yes, getting dressed in the uchikake would take longer, but Sol wasn't going to give up on finding out what had happened before the san san kudo ceremony.

"Sol, I told you it was nothing. I was simply getting emotional about the ceremony, and I needed to regain my composure." Kagura said with slight annoyance. "Besides, we must hurry, the guests have already begun arriving and we musn't allow them to wait much longer." Sol rolled her eyes. Half the people that were going to be there for the reception were simply acquaintances and the other demon lords of Japan; to her, they were simply a bore or insane in the bad way.

"Fine." Sol mumbled. She pouted as she was draped in yet another layer of the uchikake. She did love her kimono, because of the miscellaneous colors and shades of green, yellow, purple, blue, and gold, but she just wished that for once she didn't need to be so proper and just wear maybe two light layers.

_But as royalty, everything needs to be formal and regal. _Sol thought sarcastically.

"Mother, do you know why Shinto wasn't able to attend? I know we may not have spoken much, but he is the highest ranked general in the army. If anyone, he probably should have been invited as well." Sol said non-chalantly to gauge her mother's reaction. Sol knew that something had to be up. She had thought it strange when a few weeks ago Sesshomaru sent Shinto out for a campaign of some kind right after he returned home, when no threats of war had been discussed throughout the castle in even the past few decades.

"Well, hadn't you known? Your father sent him on a campaign." Kagura said quickly. Sol quirked an eyebrow as Kagura responded. It seemed a little...rehearsed.

"Well, what kind of campaign? Is there speak of war?" Sol questioned.

"No, no. It's nothing to serious, well as far as I've heard. There's a rebellion from a large farming village. As usual, they are complaining about the taxes." Kagura said slowly, trying to find a good story. _There is always talk of rebellion._ Kagura thought to herself._ This should be a convincing lie._

"Hmmm." Sol simply said, putting on a pair of ruby earrings. Sol felt that the 'campaign' story was a bunch of bull, but she would not push it further, at least for today. "Okay." she said, placing her hands down. "I think I'm ready."

-0-0-0-

"And then I said, 'Well, I am the most powerful youkai you have ever seen, but I am no miracle maker!" Taimo shouted, banging his fist against the table and laughing clamorously. Taimo's hazy eyes looked at the newlyweds down the table as if asking for approval or a positive reaction, and all Sol and Daiki did was smile politely.

When Taimo broke the gaze and decided to talk boisterously among the other guests at the reception, Sol sighed heavily and gave Daiki a look. Daiki chuckled and leaned into her.

"I know Taimo and the others are not among your favorite people around, but it's only for a night." Daiki whispered into her ear softly. "And after that...we can do whatever we please." Sol almost yelped when Daiki nipped at her ear playfully. She saw her father give her a look, with his eyebrow arched, giving off a slight sense of amusement, and Sol put her head down and blushed.

The whole group of about fifty people were sitting at an extraordinarily long table, with Sol and Daiki in the center of it. Sesshomaru and Kagura were on the opposite side a few chairs away, as were Daiki's parents. Taimo and his Lady Kana, with their daughter and her mate, who was in the most proper way to explain was rather plump, were to Sol's left. Most of the people she didn't really know, but they were the major lords of Japan, and not inviting them to at least the reception would be outright disrespectful.

Sesshomaru was glad, as he noted many times before, that his face most of the time was aloof, for he was annoyed and disgusted by Lord Taimo's behavior time and time again. Every time when they were at a social gathering, Lord Taimo didn't seem to have any restraint when it came to sake. He glanced over at Lady Kana, who seemed to be trying her best to look happy and ignorant of her mate's embarrassing behavior.

_Poor woman._ he thought to himself. _The man continually behaves like a filthy drunk human around the highest of nobility in Japan. He truly has no class_. Sesshomaru then glanced at Taimo's daughter, Kaimo, and then quickly glanced away in part disgust when she was, as usual, eyeing him in what she must of thought was seductive. Even after finding a mate, she still seemed to want to rip off his clothing every time they were near each other. Kagura cleared her throat and smiled at Kaimo.

"How have you been, Kaimo? It seems that Sesshomaru and I haven't seen you since your own wedding reception." Kagura said, acting innocently. Sesshomaru was surprised at her behavior. It was almost as if she knew Kaimo was what he was thinking about.

Kaimo frowned, giving Kagura a death glare. Sesshomaru realized a long time ago that it didn't matter who he was with, Kaimo would detest them unless she was the one around his arm.

"Has it been that long?" she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. She still didn't know how to act regally even after a century.

"YES! IT HAS BEEN THAT LONG!" Taimo bellowed, obviously not realizing how loud he was. Taimo put his shoulder around the heavyset man. Kaimo's mate didn't seem to be aware of the situation around him as he was scooping huge amounts of food into his mouth greedily. "Heh, well the man has put on some weight," Taimo said, tapping at the man's stomach, "but I say that's the more for my daughter to love!" Taimo exclaimed, laughing obnoxiously again. Kaimo buried her hands into her kimono in despair and embarrassment, and Kagura put her head back in laughter, pretending to laugh at Taimo's joke when it was the whole situation that she found hilarious. Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk slightly at this situation as well; it seemed to be the only amusing thing all night.

As Kagura put her head back in laughter, Sol's eyes frowned in sadness and shock as she noticed bruises on her mother's neck. _ I knew it! I knew something had happened!_ she thought. _But of course, she wouldn't dare to tell me, especially today. But this has to stop!_ she looked down and felt her throat closing up as tears threatened to distort her vision. _I'd rather have my parents apart then them arguing and mother to get physically abused by father._

"Are you alright, Sol?" Sol looked up at Daiki's voice, seeing his silver eyes full of concern for her sudden shift in mood. She smiled slightly at shook her head at her mate.

"Yes, I am fine. I was simply lost in thought, that's-" Sol's sentence was interrupted by a shriek from surprise and anger. Sol craned her head forward to see Kaimo standing up, her midnight blue kimono stained with sake and a brown sauce.

"YOU BUFFOON! I CANNOT BELIEVE I WAS MADE TO MARRY A DISGUSTING PIG LIKE YOU!" she yelled at her mate. He seemed just as shocked as everyone else, his almost trancelike state with his food broken when he spilled his food and sake on Kaimo.

"Dear, calm down." Taimo told her. At this point he looked like he was wobbling and might pass out. "He is a good man, and he did agree to marry you, even though you were a few years older than his liking." he said calmly. Sol's eyes bulged out in shock. Even though the man was drunk, there seemed to be no reason why one must discuss personal matters like that at a wedding reception. Kaimo snarled at her father and then glared at her mate again.

"Well, what to you have to say for yourself, you imbecile?" she spat harshly. When he couldn't think of anything to say or defend himself, Kaimo growled and threw her napkin in his face. Sol stood up quickly and walked over to her to Kaimo.

"Come, you can use one of my mother's or my kimonos for the rest of the night." she said softly to her, gesturing for her mother to join her. Kagura nodded and stood up.

"Yes, it would be no problem. Follow me." Kagura said, leading them down the hallway.

-0-0-0-

"She...is about...to get on my LAST nerve." Kagura said furiously. Kagura and Sol had been waiting on Kaimo to put on a kimono for the past half an hour. But, Kaimo obviously didn't find any of the kimonos to her taste or her standards.

"Calm down mom. Even as a child I've known Kaimo's been a spoiled princess." Sol whispered so that Kaimo wouldn't hear them.

"Hmph. You'd think she'd would have learned a little bit of humility, especially after having to marry that disgusting man." Kagura told her, chuckling a bit. Sol began to laugh but she put her hand over her mouth.

"Shhh! She might hear you!" Sol whispered to her mother. Kagura sat on Sol's bed as her daughter walked over to the small changing room and tapped lightly on the door.

"Kaimo? Do you need any help? You've been inside for a while." she called out. Sol almost fell back when Kaimo opened the door and popped her face out.

"Don't you have any better kimonos?" she asked arrogantly. "I am used to only the finest of silk, anything else simply bothers and irritates my skin." Sol rolled her eyes.

"Well, I am sorry we cannot meet your high tastes." she said sarcastically.

"Hmph." Kaimo responded. "I would expect the powerful Sesshomaru sama to provide this kind of kimono to his lowly servants!" she said, laughing at the end of her statement.

"Well, you can always change back into your dirty kimono." Kaimo turned pale as she heard the low voice from the door of the room. Sesshomaru was leaning against the door frame, his expression as stoic as ever. Kaimo cleared her throat.

"Lord Sesshomaru! I didn't expect you here!" she said, her tone quickly changing into a more pleasant one. "Can you excuse me, I am not proper in my state."

"Actually, I would rather not. The whole table is wondering why it is talking so long for you to change. Is there something wrong with the kimonos? The style? The size? Or perhaps, the **fabric?**" he asked her, his eyes questioning her. Kaimo gulped when she realized he heard her criticizing him.

"Oh, no, nothing is wrong, Lord Sesshomaru. In fact I was almost done." she said quietly. Sesshomaru nodded and looked at Kagura and Sol.

"Well, then, I expect the three of you to be back in five minutes." he told her, leaving the room. Kaimo stood in shock and anger for a few seconds before Sol snapped her finger in Kaimo's face.

"Well? My father did say five minutes." Sol told her. Sol smirked as Kaimo scowled angrily and mumbled under her breath as she went back to changing.

-0-0-0-

"Hurry up! She's escaped! Find her now before she gets away!" Soledad whimpered in fear as she heard Shinto's voice faintly in the distance. She was only about two miles away from the camp site, and Shinto and his group already realized she ran away.

Soledad pushed herself to run faster, even though she was already running as fast as she could. She silently cursed at herself. She of course had to find out in the worst situation possible that her stamina was not at all what it used to be. But she knew she couldn't slow down. Even though she was a dog demon, Shinto was a wolf demon, and he was probably just as fast, maybe even faster than her even with all his armor on. Soledad darted into the woods, hoping the thick vegetation would make it harder to find her. Yet about ten seconds later, she heard the crunches of pairs of feet following her into the forest.

She could feel her heart pounding loudly through her chest; her eyes darting back in forth to find some way, **any way **to divert them. She quickly tore at her yellow kimono and threw a large piece on the ground, and darted to the left, praying they would at least stop for a few seconds in frustration. She could still hear them calling out, and some of the shouts were getting more frantic, as they closed the gap between them. A few seconds later she heard shouts of anger.

_They must've found the piece._ she thought quickly._ At least I have a few more precious seconds._ She felt her legs aching for rest, but she gritted her teeth in order to keep her almost impossible pace, hoping adrenaline would kick in so her legs would feel numb.

Suddenly, the smell of freshwater hit her. _There's got to be a lake nearby!_ she kept running in the same direction, and soon she saw a large lake in the distance._ Even the sharpest of noses won't be able to smell me in the water._ she thought. As soon as she reached the lake, she was planning on slowly entering in order to both make little noise and to get used to the frigid temperature, but once she heard the voices of the soldiers in the distance, she dove in instead.

Soledad's instant response to the freezing cold water was to go back up to the surface, but she forced herself to stay under water. She couldn't hear anything, but believed that after a few minutes, they would head back to the piece of fabric she left behind to find her scent again.

And then she thought of how foolish she was.

_What am I doing?_ she pondered to herself. _I am doing exactly what I told Shinto and myself what I wouldn't do; run away. I am repeating my past over and over again...because I don't want the future to play out the way I imagine it: that Sesshomaru and I will still not be together, simply because by society's standards, it isn't right, no matter the situation. What if, because of this, even if I do get caught and I return to the castle, he will give up on me because I have shown so much resistance?_

'_Do you know what it is like? For me to actually to realize when I see you it's not just lust...and now when I see you again I can't have you because you're with Shinto?'_

His words penetrated through her core that instant, and she inwardly shivered from them. _What am I kidding? He loves me, and he will no matter what he does or what he says...and he knows I will love him back. _She smiled._ What an arrogant bastard._

_And yet I have to go back to him._ She concluded. After a few more minutes, her lungs began aching for air, and she gasped once she broke the surface of the water. She realized her stupidity right after; she didn't even look to see if they were still there. As her water blurred eyes set back into focus, she didn't even see one soldier there, and her heart sank a bit. She now wanted them to capture her, and they had already left.

_I can only hear their footsteps faintly. _ she thought to herself. _I have to hurry to catch up with them, hopefully they won't be too mad, though I would if I had to wake up so early to find such a fickle woman like me._ She quickly swam to the edge of the lake, and lifted her body up with her arms, goosebumps forming on her skin. It was only after she got herself out and squeezed water out of her hair that she heard a young girl close by moaning in pain.

-0-0-0-

Okay, that's it! I know, it's a cliffhanger, but I am not really that mean in real life! :D

But I will try to update again this weekend, as long as I can write a decent chapter within that time! Bye!

kekkon hireon-wedding reception

uchikake- the colorful and formal kimono worn by the bride during the wedding reception


	15. Chapter 15

"Oh gods..." Soledad whispered to herself as she ran over to the wounded girl. The girl looked no older than sixteen or seventeen in human years, but Soledad knew that she was a demon from her ears. She had long auburn hair, and her lime green kimono was stained red from her wounds. The young girl was gasping for breath, and though her stomach wound looked deep Soledad didn't think it would kill the girl if it was treated quickly. Still sopping wet, she ripped off another piece of her kimono and pressed it against the girl's stomach, the pale yellow slowly turning into a orange hue.

"Can you speak?" Soledad whispered softly. The girl coughed violently and nodded.

"Kawari." the young girl gasped, each breath sounding more painful than the last. Soledad nodded, and began pressing the cloth more firmly on Kawari's stomach, trying to slow down the bleeding.

"Well, Kawari, how on Earth did you manage to get this wound?" Kawari gasped a bit for air, and as Soledad touched her side, she also noticed Kawari probably had a broken rib. Soledad sighed and shook her head. "This isn't something you just get from simply tripping over yourself, and you don't appear to have any weapons on you." Kawari shook her head and attempted a smile, but from all the pain it wasn't very easy for her to do.

"My master...my master did this." Soledad's eyes opened up in shock and concern.

"What a terrible thing for someone to do to you. Is he always this cruel with his servants?" Kawari nodded.

"He knows what he wants and he is relentlessly vicious when he doesn't get it." Soledad frowned.

"Did you try to escape from him?" she whispered. Kawari nodded.

"Yes, but I guess you could see what happened after that." Kawari whispered sarcastically. "I couldn't find the person he wanted, so I tried to escape before the deadline was up, but he always finds those that defy him. He sent someone from the castle to attack me and left me here. Fortunately, the servant was a bit merciful, and didn't make sure that I was dead before leaving." Soledad nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I suppose others have a heart, unlike this master you had, and fortunately the wound he did give you doesn't seem like it'll be fatal. But, if you want, I was supposed to be going back to Lord Sesshomaru's castle with a small group of his finest soldiers. I'm sure that we can still find them in time and you'll be safe from your cruel master." Soledad assured her, giving Kawari a slight smile. Kawari opened her eyes, Soledad noting the striking green that they were, and suddenly Soledad felt a bit uneasy about the young girl.

"No, no...that won't be possible." Kawari whimpered. Soledad gave her a look of confusion.

"What do you-" Soledad felt a sharp blow to her head, and her mind drifted into darkness.

* * *

"FIND HER NOW!" Shinto roared at his soldiers. All of them nodded and quickly went in various directions in order to find Soledad. "After all I had told you, I thought you actually listened and would come back to him." Shinto mumbled to himself as he sat down on the grass, rubbing his temples. He wasn't going to lie to himself, of course he was hurt when he discovered that Soledad had feelings for his lord, but at the same time, he knew that he couldn't try to separate them from each other; their love technically spanned centuries. Shinto knew deep down in his heart that he couldn't try to get in the way of that. Besides, trying to get on Lord Sesshomaru's bad side wasn't going to help his case in any way. Shinto had felt tension between Lord Sesshomaru and himself for the past few months, even when discussing war tactics, though Shinto didn't have a clue why until just recently.

"General Shinto! We found something!" Two soldiers ran up to the general as Shinto stood up.

"That was quite fast." The soldiers nodded and smiled.

"We found a piece of cloth that has her scent!" Shinto gave them a look of slight annoyance.

"Of course you'd find a piece of cloth, that was the last thing we had found of her just an hour ago!" he told them. The taller one of the two shook his head.

"No, this isn't the same piece of cloth. There's blood all over this one, and it has some other scents on it." The soldier passed the cloth to Shinto for him to analyze. This cloth was different alright: it still had the same pale yellow hue on the corners of the cloth, but the rest of it was tinged a reddish orange, and was still damp with blood. Shinto sniffed it and could clearly find the jasmine and vanilla scent Soledad always wore, but he smelled two other scents as well. One was almost as strong as Soledad's, but it was very vague, almost a mixture of too many scents, as if the wearer couldn't really choose. The last one, however, was faint but distinct, carrying the scent of miasma and death around it. Shinto wasn't sure of the last scent, but knew that if anyone would know who took Soledad, it'd probably be Sesshomaru.

* * *

"Why am I still locked up here?" Kawari wailed. As soon as she returned with an unconscious Soledad, she had expected to have compensation, namely her freedom back, but it didn't seem like that was happening soon. "I did what you told me to do! I found the girl Naraku was so intent on having, so why am I still chained up?" Hebi simply smirked, his eyes the only thing giving him away in the shadows.

"You truly think Naraku-sama was going to let someone who attempted to kill him be free after doing one simple assignment?" Hebi chuckled, sending a shiver down Kawari's spine. "How could he be sure that you weren't going to make another pathetic attempt on his life? It'd be much simpler to keep you here locked up rather than have to worry about you becoming a nuisance again." Kawari gritted her teeth and snarled at the snake demon. She couldn't say that he was wrong in the sense that she'd try to kill him again, but she knew that she wouldn't make the same mistake twice and allow him to make her vulnerable. She sighed. Why would she have had hope when Naraku was known for taking it away?

She looked up at the entryway where a small slit of light came through the bottom of the door. She knew Naraku was up there, probably waiting for that girl Soledad to wake up. Kawari had to admit, even though she took her appearance once, Soledad still was very striking to her. _But I wonder what he needs her for?_ Kawari thought to herself. Maybe Naraku is just keeping her to get revenge of Lord Sesshomaru. From the little information she collected about the woman, she could only assume that they were lovers at least, so kidnapping her would probably lure the Taiyoukai here.

But, now that she was locked up and chained to a wall in this dank dungeon, she felt a little bit of regret for bringing Soledad into this mess. Before, Kawari wouldn't have cared less, because she assumed that after finding her Kawari would be allowed to leave, and Kawari's only thought would be how to kill Naraku again. But after thinking about the horrible ways Naraku had treated her, how would he treat this new woman? Her fate would probably be less fortunate than hers, if there was any other situation that could be worse. All Kawari could hope for was that maybe this nightmarish reality would soon be over.

* * *

"Ah!" Soledad hissed as she lurched straight up. A sharp pain in the back of her head seared through her and she instinctively brought her hands to her head, hoping for some relief. After a few minutes, the pain mercifully subsided into a dull ache, and she was finally able to see her surroundings.

_Where am I?_ she thought to herself. She felt like the room she was in was familiar, and she felt almost sick as she looked around. The furnishings on the simple furniture in the room were dark silvers and black, and she noticed she was on a bed with silk black sheets. "I remember this place, but...it can't be...he isn't alive, and he couldn't have found me in so little time..." she whispered to herself, growing fearful as she began to remember the horrible memories of this place. Pushing herself off the bed, she slowly began walking around the room, and found that through one of the doors to her left, there was a hot bath waiting for her. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and spun around to head back but hit someone right behind her.

"I see you're awake." Naraku said, his eyes piercing through her. She gasped and felt tears forming in her eyes.

"No, no it can't be you." she whispered, feeling her knees almost buckling under her in shock. _I thought this had to be a cruel nightmare, I should've woken up by now if it was! _she thought. Naraku smiled menacingly at her, finding that he enjoyed her fear of him.

"Now, now, why are you so scared of your host? I'm not planning on doing anything to you yet." Soledad clenched her teeth.

"How did you find me?" she growled. "I never wanted to even hear of your name ever again, much less allow you to be my 'host.'" He came closer to her, and she tried backing away from him, trying to keep the distance between them as far as possible.

"Well, it wasn't too difficult, I knew that you'd be compassionate towards someone so frail and hurt, that I sent one of my allies to find and capture you."

"...Kawari?" he nodded slightly. She slumped against the wall slightly, in anger of the young girl tricking her and in disbelief that she let her guard down to allow this to happen.

"Yes, for some reason, she thought that she could trick me." he stated non chalantly. He walked strode towards her until their faces were inches apart from each other. "Unfortunately for her, her shapeshifting abilities weren't capable of matching your beauty." he said, running his claw across her cheek. Soledad snarled and turned her face away from him. He turned away from her, walking over to the bath, steam still rising from it. He placed his hand in the water, feeling its warmth. "Still stubborn as ever, I see."

"Hmph. Why would you expect me to act any different from you now than I did before?" she snapped at him. He turned to face her.

"Well, because you're not going to be leaving like the last time. My servants are now much more faithful than that useless spawn of mine Kagura, and besides, she's the one that brought me back from Hell in order to get you out of the picture." Soledad looked down in astonishment. Yes, Kagura was never her best friend, but Kagura should've been wise enough to know that Soledad left in order to prevent being the other woman and tarnishing the couple's reputation. "She's very sweet, isn't she? She almost takes after me in that sense." Naraku said sarcastically.

"I can't believe she'd go this far to get rid of me." Soledad whispered to herself.

"Well, my dear, this is definitely a reality, but whether it becomes a nightmare or not is entirely your decision." he told her, smirking. "I will bring one of my servants to help you get ready. Dinner will be served in the main dining hall in an hour." he said leaving the room.

"What if I decide I'm not that hungry?" she spat at him. He stopped, looking down towards the floor.

"Well, sometimes the unknown consequences end up being the things you wish you never found out." he told her darkly. He turned to her, his red eyes penetrating through her. "Remember, you have an hour." he said simply before leaving the room.


End file.
